


At the End of Everything

by SnowWight



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Slow Burn, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:01:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 32,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27473203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnowWight/pseuds/SnowWight
Summary: **has been edited**Anakin's adrift at the end of the Clone Wars--his marriage to Padme has dissolved, and his closet friend, Ahsoka, has decided to leave the order. Returning back to the Temple, Anakin hopes to find a moment of peace in wartime, but he runs into his former Master instead.This is going to be a story that picks up right after the first arc of S7 of the Clone Wars TV series, but it's not really necessary to know all of that, exactly.
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi/Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 31
Kudos: 165





	1. Chapter 1

Anakin stood at the prow of his ship, arms against the cool metal. The bustle of clones behind him was comforting and grounding, but did nothing to soothe his building headache. R2 beeped at his feet and bumped into his legs.

"What is it, buddy?" Anakin put a comforting hand on the Astromech's head.

R2 beeped again, and Anakin groaned.

"I know, I'm okay." He stood up and pushed his hair back from his face. "What does he want?"

Since Ahsoka had left the Order-since she had been forced out of the Order-Anakin had felt like everything was tumbling down around him. Then wasn't anything for Anakin to look forward to in the morning-the absence of Ahsoka's infectious energy left a noticeable void, both in the 501st and in Anakin himself. Everyone had noticed, Obi-Wan included. He'd been calling in to check on Anakin two times a day, at the by least.

R2 beeped again, and Anakin groaned. "I just need to get more Caf. Come on." He stood up, and stretched, feeling the muscles in his back pop. Anakin made his way out of the hanger, his hand still holding his hair out of his face. "It's not like I'm a child," he told R2 as they walked, "He doesnt need to keep calling me."

R2 cooed sympathetically, and trailed behind Anakin as they made their way through the hallways of the cruiser. The 501st was on standby right outside the Coruscant System waiting for orders from the Council. Anakin knew that the clones were itching for ground leave, and he was feeling anxious himself. He hadn't had his chance to get blind drunk in at least three standard seasons. Getting drunk would mean a break from remembering everything all the time, too.

After the "incident" with Clovis, Padme had filed for divorce, which had left a hole in Anakin's heart that he had only been able to filled by destroying us much separatist property as possible, and that still hadn't been enough. The loss of Padme had only deepened the pain of Ahsoka's absence. Not that he could tell Obi-Wan about any of this. He would just recommend-"more meditating, searching for inner peace, reassesing emotional attachments." Only Rex really got it, and his access to booze was jut as limited as Anakin's.

Still, Anakin made his way to the Comm's room, and turned on the hologram. Obi-Wan's stern, but comforting, countence filled the bridge with a gentle blue glow. "You look exhausted," he told Anakin, his vowels clipped. His arms can crossed over his chest, are hand stroking his beard, as he surveyed Anakin.

"What about a hello?" Increasingly, Anakin found that he couldn't look at Obi-Wan without letting his gaze wander over the man's broad shoulders, over the smooth planes of his face and the rough patches of his beard. Clearing his throat, Anakin looked away.

"Hello. You look exhausted. Have you seen sleeping?" Obi-War's eyebrows peaked dangerously. It was impossible to tell what the man was truly thinking. 

"No, I haven't, not-" Anakin couldn't truly lie to Obi-Wan even if he had really wanted to. "Padme stopped talking with me-" stopped being married to me, he didn't say, "After I accused Clovis. She- she didn't like the way I handled the situation. It's, um, unfortunate that we would lose an ally in this way." And sometimes, Obi-Wan, I stay awake at night, thinking about your fingers and the muscles of your arms underneath your tunic, but that's not okay to say out loud either. 

"Hmm." Obi-Wan stroked his chin even more forcefully, almost as though he could hear Anakin's thoughts, and was trying to scratch them away. "I know you're expecting me to say this, but maybe it's for the best. You two were becoming- extremely close."

"I know, I know, I should meditate and school my thoughts-"

"Meditating couldn't hurt, but Anakin- it's been a long war. I know your losses have been our whelming, recently, and if there's anything I can do to help-"

"Thank you, Master," Anakin smiled up at the image of the man he knew best. Obi-Wan's face was warm and kind, and Anakin could almost see the russet of his hair through the blue of the hologram. Obi-Wan's fingers rested lightly on his chin, and Anakin was overcome with the sudden desire to hold them in his own. "I should give you more credit for understanding, and not just pushing me aside."

"Of course, Anakin." Obi-Wan smiled back, and a warm feeling bloomed in Anakin's chest. "I'll speak with Windu, and see if I can get you and your men a few days of leave. I think it would be a good idea if you swung by the Temple. Maybe it would help you to be more - grounded - if we spoke."

Was that a hitch in his former Master's voice, or was that just Anakin's imagination? Anakin nodded, and tried to hide his smile. "Of course, Master. It'll be nice to have a couple of days to myself, and with you, if you're still around."

Obi-Wan nodded and inclined his head, cutting off the transmission. Anakin looked down at R2 and smiled. "That wasn't as terrible as I thought it would be," he told his droid. "He was suspiciously understanding."

R2 cooed, and drove off the bridge, and Anikin followed, laughing. "He doesn't baby me, he just likes me. Do you really not think that I could actually have friends?"

Anakin made his way back to the hanger and grabbed a spanner from the toolbox, levering his way underneath his fighter on his back, the trolley uncomfortable underneath his shoulders. Just routine maintence, it never hurt to be sure that everything was in working order. And Anakin liked to build things, obviously. It soothed his anxiety, to watch the way mechanisms fit together. You couldn't think of much else, when you were trying to make sure your fuslage was properly connected.

Tucked underneath the fighter, with the noise of the hanger around him, there wasn't a lot of room to think about the fact that he would be headed planet side soon, to think about the way that Obi-Wan's fingers had lightly run through his beard, the way his eyes had shone kindly when he looked at Anakin, this way his chest would feel pressed against Anakin's. There wasn't a lot of room, but it was enough.

The space underneath the fighter was suddenly too cramped and heated, and Anakin quickly busied himself with the work right in front of his fingers.

*******************************************************************

"The first thing I'm going to do when we get planet side is find the dirtiest dive bar in the Underside and get as drunk as the rest of my stipend will allow me-"

Rex laughed. "That sounds like it'll make for a miserable weekend, Sir, I don't envy you at all." He was seated next to Anakin in the transport. Around them, the clones of the 501st were talking excitedly amongst themselves; mostly about doing the same thing Anakin had been planning.

"What are you going to do? Just stay in the barracks-"

"Nah, I'm going to get actual food, not that canteen shit-" Anakin laughed at that, "Maybe sleep in until Midday, leave my skivvies on the floor. You know," Rex's smile was wider then Anakin had seen it in a minute, "Just civilian stuff."

"That sounds nice." Anakin leaned back against his seat. He didn't want to tell Rex that he was dreading returning to the Temple, and facing the Council again-He didn't want to see them again, didn't know if he could stomach seeing them again, after what they'd done to Ahsoka. "I'm glad to know that someone as uptight as you likes the simple things, like throwing your laundry all over the barracks."

Rex shook his head, a slight smile on his face. He moved closer to Anakin, so only he could hear what Rex had to say. "Just don't go by Amidala's place, alright? I know what's been going on between you two, and I just-"

"I know." Anakin touched his old friend lightly on the knee. "I don't know if I could face her anymore, and I don't know if I even want to talk to her at this point."

"Good man." Rex slapped him on the back once and sat up. "Just, look after yourself." The transport shuttered as they hit the atmosphere, and instead of relief, Anikin felt only anxiety.

"You look after yourself too. If you need anything you know how to reach me," he told Rex, who gave him only a weary smile. Rex knew who looked after whom in this relationship. The clones were dropped off at the barracks first, and Anakin traveled alone to the Temple, his heart racing as though he was about to approach battle, instead of his home. Steadying himself, he stood up and made his way to the back of the transport. The ramp let down, and Anakin made his way onto the platform, trying to look as collected as he could.

Obi-Wan was standing in the landing balcony, deep in thought. It seemed that he hardly noticed when Anakin walked up to him, his arms crossed our his chest, his face set in a heavy frown.

"Obi-Wan," Anakin said, reaching out to touch his Master lightly on the shoulder. "Fancy seeing you here."

Obi-Wan startled, but his eyes softened as he saw Anakin. "There you are," he said, gripping Anakin's forearm, his smile breaking across his face. "Any trouble getting down here?"

"None at all. Rex says he's going to sleep until Midday tomorrow -sounds like the best plan I've heard in a while."

Obi-Wan's eyebrows raised. "That does sound enjoyable, doesn't it? There are some things I want to discuss with you, before you try that out yourself, though-and the Chancellor has requested that you stop by the Senate building while you're here."

Every time Anakin in met with his former Master, he found it more difficult to look the older man in the eye. His light blue eyes and the red of his hair, the way he watched Anakin with his penetrating gaze-it made it difficult for Anakin to focus. "I don't really want to go over there right now."

"Where, the Senate building? Well, you can make your excuses. I'm sure the Chancellor's busy anyhow. I would be just as happy if you didn't go over there, to tell you the truth of it."

Anakin nodded happily, grateful for the reprieve, and followed Obi-Wan up the steps to the Temple. Even just watching Obi-Wan brought calm to Anakin. The cloudy skies over Coruscant let in patches of golden light, illuminating the city through the smog, and the muted light caught in Obi-Wan's hair, flickering over his nose and his cheeks..

"What's on your schedule for today, Master?" Anakin followed Obi-Wan through the temple hallways. Their footsteps echoed off the tile floors and from the vaulted ceilings. Ahead of them, a group of younglings darted across the hall, giggling. The Temple seemed pretty empty, all of the adults- the Masters and the knights-off on some far flung battlefield. It was quieter than Anikin had ever seen it, but the stillness didn't make him any calmer.

"I was thinking we could retire to the Tranquility Gardens? " Obi-Wan suggested, and Anakin could hear a faint trace of skepticism in his voice. "I know you're not a fan, but meditation could do wonders for your mind, if I could actually get you to sit still for a moment."

Anikin laughed and caught up to Obi-Wan, so they were walking side-by-side. Obi-Wan's hair fell over his eye, and Anakin was acutely aware of the way his lips were turned up in a smirk. "Whatever you say, Master. If you're sure my fidgeting won't upset your tranquility."

*************************************************************************************

Obi-Wan was loathe to admit that he had been hiding out in the Temple, hiding out from Anakin in particular. When he heard- when Obi-Wan had heard that Padme had returned to Coruscant alone, he had felt a thrill of joy down through his stomach that made him feel dirty. For a while, he had known that there was something untoward between Anakin and Padme, but he didn't know if he wanted to drive the two of them apart because their relationship was against the code, or because Obi-Wan wanted their relationship to end for more--personal reasons.

Their relationship had ended without Obi-Wan's involvement, though, and now Anakin was back in the Temple, for a couple of days at least. It was more than enough for Obi-Wan, to be able to see his face, the way his hair shore with flecks of gold in the dim Coruscant sunlight. If anything, looking at Anakin was a little overwhelming. He hadn't missed the way that Anakin's blue eyes lingered on his face, or how the observant young man watched him with a solider's intensity. He was beautiful, too, the sort of beautiful that took Obi-Wan's breath away. The young man was attempting to meditate now, his legs crossed over each other, his face scrunched up in a concentrated scowl.

"You know, for meditation to work, you need to let go of your thoughts," he chided gently, unsure if the remark was meant for Anakin or himself. 

"Thanks." Anakin opened one of his eyes to squint at him."That's so helpful. Aren't you supposed to be concentrating on yourself?"

"I can't, not when all I can hear is you teeth grinding. Is there something you need to talk about?" Obi-Wan held up his hand to quell any of Anakin's qualms. "Just between you and me, like it used to be. No Council involved."

Anakin's entire demeanor relaxed, and it was like a mask had been pulled off his features. The man who had been carelessly jovial moments before was now a child, his face full of a fear that Obi-Wan didn't know Anakin contained. He barely resisted the urge to reach out and put Anakin into an embrace.

"It just feels like, I don't know." Anakin looked behind Obi-Wan, almost like he was studying the murals on his shoulder. "Like this war is pointless. I miss Ahsoka? She was the one who was always able to remind me why we're fighting, and without her perspective-why am I putting my men in danger every day? What's the point of being out in the line of fire, if we's not fighting for anything, just fighting?"

"Oh, Anakin." Obi-Wan wasn't able to keep the emotion out of his voice. "I thought you were upset that you and Padme were no longer -friendly - I didn't know that you had all of this going on too."

"It's that, too. Padme and Ashoka always-they were always the ones who looked at the world with hope, and who gave everything purpose. I just, I don't know what to do anymore I talk to Rex, but he's sick of fighting, and he tells me the same things--that I have to look out for myself. But there's no point in looking out for myself when the whole galaxy's gone to shit."

Obi-Wan reached out, put his hand on Anakin's knee. "It's been a long war, hasn't it?" He said, instead of all of the things he was actually thinking.

Anakin smiled, small and genuine, and he put his hand over Obi-Wan's own. The thick leather of the glove on his mechanical hand was a friendly pressure. "Thank you for listening. If there's anyone I can talk to, I should always remember that it's you, Master."

"Are you sure you don't have anything else that's troubling you?" Obi-Wan didn't want to pull away, to take his hand off of Anakin.

Anikin's smile was small, and he leaned his head in toward's Obi-Wan's, so their foreheads were almost touching. "Would you want to blow this joint tonight and go cause some trouble Underside?"

Obi-Wan didn't know if he could breath, his heart in his chest expanding, pressing against his ribcage. "Anakin-"

"I'll take that as a yes, then? Come on, you know you want to. Like we're kids again."

He wanted to. He wanted to. He didn't want to sit up, but he forced himself to straighten, to pull away from Anakin. "Alright. I'll come, but only to keep an eye on you." His hand, still as Anakin's knee, was given a gentle squeeze, and Obi-Wan's heart soared in his chest.

"Good." Anakin's soft smile was still on his face, and Obi-Wan was overwhelmed with his gentle touch. "Do you want me to pretend to meditate? Just so you can say that you tried?

"Sue." Obi-Wan smiled. "Besides, the more time we spend out here-"

"-the less time we spend in there." Anakin winked and took his hand back. "Good thinking."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin unwinds on Coruscant, and drags Obi-Wan with him.

Anakin hadn't worn clothes other than his tunic in so long that pants felt confining. He sat on the edge of his bed and laced up his boots. He had tied his hair up out of his face with a stray tie, and pulled on a shirt he'd used to workout in previously. The clothes he'd taken off as soon as he got back to his quarters lay in a pile on the floor. Aside from that, though, his quarters were sparse.

The Temple dormitories, before the war, had never necessarily been cheerful, but now they were downright depressing. A bed frame with a mattress, a window that gave an impressive view of Coruscant traffic, a disposal interface and laundry catch-all in the corner took up the space of the closet-like room. All of Anakin's pod racing posters and models that he'd built with his spare time when he was younger had been removed. Any trace that Anakin had once lived here as a boy, or that he had once lived here at all, had been wiped clean.

Except for--maybe there was still something hidden. Finished with his boot laces, Anakin reached over the bed and pulled on the nightstand drawer. When he was very young, and very angry that Obi-Wan had been put in charge of him, he'd taken a few small things from his former Master's room. Over the years, he had subtly returned them all, save for - Anakin's fingers found the curled piece of paper tucked against the back corner of the draw. A photograph. He hadn't seen many printed photographs, just holo stills, and seeing Obi-Wan's young face smiling at him in full color made him warm inside.

The photograph was of the two of them, right outside in the Temple garden. Anakin couldn't remember who had taken the photograph, just that Obi-Wan had reached out and pulled Anakin close to him, the closest thing Anakin had to a hug since he'd last seen Shimi. lt was a good picture, even if child-Anakin was staring into the camera with a twisted smile. He smiled at it, and slipped it into his pants pocket, so he wouldn't leave it behind again.

Standing up, he stretched and looked around. Lightsaber- he grabbed it off his bed and tucked it into his waistband, pulling his shirt down to cover it. The few credits he had, he tucked into a front pocket. As always, it felt like he was missing something. He left the bare room and made his way down the hallway to Obi-Wan's quarters, not even bothering to knock. The older man wasn't in the room, but Anakin could hear the hiss of water in the 'fresher. Still cleaning up. Anakin threw himself down on Obi-Wan's bed, and let his feet dangle over the side.

Even though Obi-Wan's room was as bare as Anakin's, there was a sense of calm that pervaded his quarters. Maybe, it was just the idea of being closer to Obi-Wan, or maybe the older man had a lavender infused pillow. Anakin wouldn't put it past him. Anakin closed his eyes, his fingers knotted up in Obi-Wan's bedsheets, and let the sunlight that was rapidly fading from the sky play across his face.

He was stirred from his drowsing by Obi-Wan's sudden cursing. "Fucking hell, Anakin, what are you doing in here?"

Anakin opened his eyes, and pushed himself up to his elbows. "I was waiting for - oh Shit."

Obi-Wan had turned around quickly, so that Anakin could only see his bare and freckled ass. Obi-Wan clearly had not been expecting to have guests. Anakin grabbed a towel from the back of the chair and threw it across the room to Obi-Wan, hoping that he wouldn't turn around for at least a moment. Anakin needed time to get himself together, to look at the way the curves of Obi-Wan's back dissolved into the strength of his legs-how the nape of his neck moved gracefully into his shoulders; to keep himself from falling apart, to count the number of freckles across Obi-Wan's back and ass.

Obi-Wan tied the towel around his waist and cleared his throat, turning around. "I'm sorry, were you-"

Anakin wiggled his eyebrows in a way he hoped could be considered joking- "Nice ass, Master."

"Anakin-"

"When are you going to be ready to go? This place is starting to put me on edge." Anakin threw himself back down on the bed and put his hands on his eyes. "I promise I won't look."

"You better not." Obi-Wan was rustling through the wardrobe, and Anakin couldn't help but peek out through his fingers. Obi-Wan's blush had spread down the back of his neck and across his shoulder. He was so close, Anakin could reach out and touch him-

"Are your eyes closed?" Obi-Wan demanded.

"Yes, Master." Anakin groaned, and it wasn't entirely voluntary.

"I'm sorry?" Obi-War turned around, but Anakin was no longer watching to see his reaction, his hands pressed tight to his face, so that Obi-Wan couldn't see the blush that spread across his cheeks. There was a moment of stillness, and Obi-War continued to dress, the rustle of his clothes filling up Anakin's conciousness.

When he was finished, he kicked the bottom of the bed, jolting Anakin up. "Are you falling asleep already?" Obi-Wan's cheeks were still flushed underneath his freckles and his beard, which did things to the pit of Anakin's stomach. It took everything in Anakin's body not to reach up and touch the soft skin of Obi-Wan's cheek, the roughness of his beard.

"Nah. Are you ready yet?"

"Yes. Get up, let's go." Obi-Wan was dressed similarly to Anakin, but his pants were tight, and he had a cowl thrown over his shirt. He tucked his lightsaber away too, and held out his hand to Anakin, who grasped it gratefully.

Anakin didn't want to let go of Obi-Wan's hand, and it might have seen only his imagination, but Obi-War's calloused grip didn't seem to loosen until they were out in the hallway, when he stowed his hand quickly underneath his cowl. "Any place in mind?" Obi-Wan asked.

Anakin smiled as wickedly as he knew how. "Of course."

*************************************************************

Watching Anakin dance was an out-of-body experience. Obi-Wan was pressed up against the wall of the club, a drink of something glowing in his head, the music pounding in his head. Pressed around him, the sweating bodies of the Coruscant nightlife writhed and gyrated, but Obi-Wan focused on none of them. Only Anakin. Standing in the middle of the club, loose hairs stuck to his face, his arms up in the air, his eyes closed in a state of ecstasy.

Anakin was well and truly drunk. He had been the last time Obi-Wan had gotten close enough to speak to him, he had stumbled against Obi-Wan, pressing their heads to a close together. The crowd had pushed them apart, though, and now Anakin was on his own, and Obi-Wan couldn't take his eyes off of him. This had been a terrible idea. He finished his drink and put the empty cup down on the nearest surface, and pushed his way outside.

The air of the Underside smelled like wine and spilled fuel. Obi-Wan stumbled to the wall of the walkway and held on, breathing as deeply as possible. This had been a terrible idea. His thoughts were swimming with thoughts of Anakin's smooth stomach underneath his shirt, Anakin's hips as he danced. And-Anakin on his bed, his hands pressed to his eyes with just enough space in between his fingers to watch Obi-Wan change, and the groan he made when Obi-Wan told him to stop. Like he wanted to see Obi-Wan -

Thinking that thought was a terrible idea, but Obi-Wan found that he couldn't stop, and that his thoughts were wandering ever southward. Anikin's arm on his shoulder, his hand on his knee, his eyes on his body, his lips and his eyes and the way they danced when watching Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan held onto the railing as he tried to force the images out of his mind. It must be the alcohol, it must be-

A warm form stumbled against him, and Obi-Wan looked up to see Anakin there, his hair half tied up, the rest down in his face. "Obi," Anikin said, his voice heavy and deep, stirring somthing up deep in Obi-Wan. "I was looking for you." He was standing for too close. Inappropriately close. His breath smelled like alcohol. How much of this would he remember in the morning?

"You are drunk." Obi-Wan pushed him away, just slightly. "I'm surprised you're still standing."

Anakin laughed a little too hard at that joke. "Me too. Why are you sad?"

"Sad? I'm not-"

"You are. Obi, you haven't looked at me since I came back. And I told you about all the bad things, and I thought that meant we would all be okay, that you would be my friend again." Anakin reached out and touched Obi-Wan in the cheek, his fingers lightly brushing the soft spot underneath his eye.''You're so pretty, Obi, I know I'm not, but we can still be friends"

"Anakin, what?-" Obi-Wan couldn't tell if it was the drink making his head spin, or how close Anakin was standing. In the dark of the Underside, he couldn't make out the details of Anakin's face. "I'm not sad. We are friends, I promise." He reached out and grabbed Anakin's wrist, holding them to his chest. "Everything is okay."

Anakin sniffed.''So why don't you look at me?"

"Oh, Anakin-" Obi- Wan reached out and put his had gently on Anakin's head, running his fingers through the younger man's hair. Anakin lead into his touch, his eyes fluttering. "Anakin, I think I need to bring you home," he said, his heart beating in his throat.

Anakin laughed, a throaty sound. "You're going to take me home?"

"Ani-" Obi-Wan swallowed. "I'm going to call us a cab."

"You're going to take me home," Anakin titled his head so that his lips were pressed into Obi-Wan's palm. "Tuck me into bed, okay?"

"I will, "Obi-Wan said, keeping his voice low. He pushed a cab signal outside the club, and a speeder swooped over. Obi-Wan pulled Anakin's limp body into the back of the speeder. "Temple district, upper level," Obi-Wan told the driver.

The man turned in his seat, and gave the two of them a look, up and down, clearly watching the way Anakin's arms were entwined with Obi-Wan's, the way his body was pressed against Obi-Wan's. Obi-Wan felt heat rise into his cheeks and into all of the places when Anakin was touching him, where he was draped over his thighs and his stomach. "Alright, then," the driver said and turned back around.

Fuck. If this story got around the Undercity, it would be the end of both of them. Obi-Wan tried to move Anakin so that he wasn't lying right our Obi-Wan's lap, but Anakin groaned. "Can't do that," he slurred, and moved his head so that his chin was resting on Obi-Wan's shoulder. "I'm sitting here."

"I know, but I'm sitting here too." Obi-Wan tried to move away from Anakin, away from his hands that were creeping ear close to Obi-Wan's waistline. The warmth of Anakin's palms were making his pants uncomfortably tight in a way Obi-Wan didn't want to think about. "We have to share," he insisted, swallowing.

Anakin groaned again, a sand that reverberated all the way through Obi-Wan. "You don't like sharing. You didn't like sharing me with Padme. You can say you didn't care all you want but that would be a lie, alright?"

Obi-Wan closed his eyes and wished that the cab driver was very, very, very far away from the two of them so that he could take Anakin's face in his hands and stare into his eyes, so he could know, truly, what Anakin meant. Instead, though, he put his hand on Anakin's wrist and squeezed it tightly. He had been right, this was no point in lying to Anakin, especially when Anakin was so drunk that this conversation would be but a memory in the morning. "Were you- were you with Padme? Romantically?" Obi-Wan didn't know why he asked, because whatever the answer to the question was, he didn't know if he wanted to hear it.

Anakin cringed into Obi-Wan's shoulder, his body tightening, his chin clenching against Obi-Wan's shoulder. "I can't tell you," he said, "You're going to be so mad at me."

"So, that's a yes?"

Anakin's answer was a strangled moan. "Can we not talk about her anymore?" His hands trawled our Obi-Wan's Knees, over the top of his thighs. "I dont like her very much anymore."

"Well-you have to keep your hands to yourself.'" Obi-Wan protested. The cab piled up to a walkway and Obi-Wan tossed the driver a few credits before maneuvering Anakin's limp body out of the speeder. It was like steering an extremely heavy toddler. He laid Anakin down on his back on the concrete walkway as the speeder took off behind them. He looked down at Anakin, his arms crossed over his chest.

Anakin laughed, and reached up to Obi-Wan, his hair falling in his face, his shirt pulled up around his bellybutton, his muscles straining against the sleeves of his shirt. Surely, this must be hell. Surely, a beautiful and wasted Anakin standing under the Coruscant lights, his arms open to Obi-Wan, was some sort of punishment derived for him in the deepest pits of damnation. Obi-Wan reached down and pulled Anakin up to his feet, when he swayed, both of his hands holding into Obi-Wan's. "Hi," he said, and he smiled, his blue eyes sparkling in the city lights.

"Hi, Anakin." Obi-Wan just wanted to stand there for one minute more, the golden light spilling over their heads. "What are you doing?"

"I don't know," Anakin answered and he laughed suddenly. "I think I'm very drunk."

"I agree." That is why it wasn't wise for Obi-Wan to be standing here, the traffic of the city bustling around them. He sighed, and closed his eyes, pulled his hands away from Anakin.

Anakin stumbled into him, though, refusing to let go of his hands. "That doesn't mean- " Anakin pulled up their conjoined hands, and pressed the rough skin of Obi-Wan's knuckles against his lips. The sight of Anakin's blue eyes peering at Obi-Wan through his lashes, the feel of Anakin's breath against the back of his hand, the low rumble of his voice through his body, sent a pool of warmth right to Obi-Wan's knees, to the bottom of his stomach. He didn't know how well he stifled the groan that rose to his lips.

"Anakin-"

"Yes, Master?"

"Anakin-I need-I need to get you into bed."

Anakin's smile was wicked, and Obi-War was so tempted to say something else, to push this a little bit further, but instead he only took his hands away from Anakin and led his very intoxicated companion through a back door and into the Temple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading and supporting! (and for pointing out that very embarrassing mistake) I hope you all enjoy :)


	3. Chapter 3

Anakin woke up the next morning with a massive hangover and a feeling at the pit of his stomach that he'd done something he wasn't supposed to. All he could remember after the fifth drink was the crush of bodies on the dance flow, Obi-Wan's hand in his, the feeling of Obi-Wan's cheek under his fingertips, pressing his lips to the back of Obi-Wan's hand-Shit.

He sat up suddenly, and his head was spinning in the worst sort of way. Did they talk about Padme? Had he drunkenly groped Obi-Wan's dick in the back of a cab? He remembered, with an embrassing amount of clarity, how Obi-War had gently laid him down on his bed and enlaced his boots, while Anakin ran his fingers through Obi-Wan's hair. He couldn't have said too much about Padme, or else he would've been in a whole lot of trouble.

The nausea and shame was overwhelming, and Anakin was forced to double over on himself, pressing his forehead into the sheets. He couldn't throw up-he couldn't throw up, but he couldn't hold himself together for that much longer. His stomach churned and his heart burned, and the image of Obi-Wan's reddish chair and beard illuminated as though he were wearing a halo was causing a pain that Anakin didnt know how to mitigate. He groaned, and reached for his nightstand. A glass of water and a few pills. Obi-Wan must've left them for him. Anakin took the pills gratefully and swallowed the entire glass of water.

As he was bent over, making sure that he wasn't going to throw his guts up, the door to his room opened. Even with his eyes closed, Anakin could tell it was Obi-Wan. He could tell his former Master by his clipped footsteps and by the warm feeling that diffused throughout Anakin's chest as he recognized Obi-Wan's Force signature. He opened his eyes as the older man entered the room, carrying a tray with tea and breakfast. "How bad was l?" he asked, through gritted teeth.

Obi-Wan's laugh was muted and small. "Bad enough that I thought you wouldn't be up."

Anakin moaned and fell back into his bed. "I wish I wasn't," he said, and he pulled his thin pillow over his head. "How bad, though? Like, did I tell you any secrets?"

Obi-Wan laughed, and sat down on the chair next to the desk, nestling the tray down at the end of Anakin's bed. "Tell me what secrets you were frightened of sharing, and I'll tell you if I know know them or not."

Anakin groaned. "Seriously, Obi-Wan. Please?"

Obi-Wan seemed hesitant. "You really don't remember anything, do you?"

"I remember, like. Being way too handsy?" Anakin said, wincing. "Did I-feel you up?"

Obi-Wan chuckled, but it seemed strained. "Just a little. Nothing I couldn't handle." Anakin heard him swallow. "Do you remember anything else?"

"We talked about - Padme?"

"Right, and you said you didn't want to talk about her anymore."

Fuck. That was a relief. Anakin took the pillow off his head and gave Obi-Wan a lopsided grin. "So, you promise I didn't tell you any secrets?"

Obi-Wan was staring at Anakin, his eyes fixed on Anakin's face, his hand tightened on his thigh. When he saw Anakin watching him, he jerked his head away suddenly. So, there was something he was hiding. Anakin groaned inwardly and sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He realized, belatedly, that the shirt he was wearing was rucked up on his stomach. "Come on, Obi," he said, pushing hair out of his face. "Tell me what happened."

Obi-Wan looked over at Anakin, almost guilty. "I can't remember. I was a little tipsy myself."

The words had the distinct quality of a lie, but Anakin wasn't willing to press. Obi-Wan seemed fragile, like something inside of him was on the point of breaking already. Anakin reached out and touched his former Master on the shoulder. "Promise me, though, that if I did anything to upset you, that when you figure it out, you'll tell me?" Even that seemed like a lot to ask.

Obi-Wan nodded, but he still wouldn't meet Anakin's eyes. "The Chancellor has requested that you meet with him today," he said, instead of anything else. "I know I told you I would make excuses, but he was very demanding."

Anakin groaned and pulled his shirt the rest of the way off his head. "I thought he might be. Would you come with me?"

Obi-Wan looked at him confused, then quickly looked away, busying himself with a cup of tea. "Why? You usually visit the Chancellor- alone."

"I know, but I'm worried that I'll run into.... someone I don't want to see right down. Do you mind if I change?"

"Aren't you going to take a shower?"

"Oh, right. "Anakin shucked his pants and undid his hair from how he had bound it. This was a strangled noise from behind him and Anakin turned to see that Obi-Wan had oriented himself entirely towards the window. Had Obi-Wan always been this sensitive to nudity? Anakin grabbed a towel and pulled it our the shoulder, "I'll be right out," he told Obi-Wan, and went to clean up.

*********************************************************

Obi-Wan most surely was going to die, and it was going to be Anakin's fault. He was left sitting in Anakin's empty dorm room, Anakin's clothes all our the floor, the image of Anakin's ruffled bedhead filling up his mind. Was Obi-Wan really that obvious, that Anakin could read his every hesitation on his face? Did Anakin really not remember how close they stood last night, how the heat from Anakin's body had flowed into Obi-Wan's?- because that was all Obi-Wan could think about. He kept replaying the events of last night in his head over and over again. Whenever he closed his eyes, Anakin's blue eyes were there. Whenever he closed his fist, the phantom feel of Anakin's lingered. The idea of Anakin was consuming him.

Obi-Wan tightened his fist on his knee, trying to force his confused thoughts to be still. What secrets did Anakin have? Something about Padme, or? Obi-Wan threw a glance at the bathroom door. Or, something else? Obi-Wan held his cup of tea a little tighter.

And, the way Anakin had asked him in that small voice, if Obi-Wan would tell him what he was thinking. That in itself was enough for Obi-Wan's mind to start straying to dangerous place. He stood up, and knocked on the bathroom door-"I'll meet you in the front hall, yeah?" He hoped his voice didn't sound too strained.

Anakin let out a strangled acknowledgment, and Obi-Wan let himself out of his dorm, leaving the plates behind on the table. If he could take a moment to himself, the things he would do. The things he had done to himself last night, after he had tucked Anakin into bed--the younger man hadn't let Obi-Wan go until he was asleep, his fingers tangled in Obi-Wan's hair and in his beard--just thinking about it put Obi-Wan on edge again, an erection pushing at the front of his loose pants. He could go and relieve himself, touch himself in the ways he wanted Anakin to touch him, but what if Anakin burst into his room again? Instead, Obi-Wan made his way to the front hallway, and sat cross-legged, hoping to find a modicum of peace in meditation, though really, there was no use in it.

Anakin sauntered out to find him eventually, his tonic still wet at the shoulders from his hair. He was the most radiant thing in the temple. "Meditating, old man?"The way he smiled sent Obi-Wan's knees weak.

"I thought I had all day, knowing how long you take once you get under the hot water." Obi-Wan stood up and tried to hide his discomfort, and brushed down the front of his own robes. "Are you ready to go?"

Anakin smiled ruefully. "Not really. But, you are going to come with me, right?"

"Of course." He would go wherever Anakin asked him to.

Obi-Wan followed Anakin out of the Temple, and they made their way to the looming Senate building, the traffic of Coruscant whirring above them.

************************************************************

"I hate waiting." Anakin shifted back and forth on his feet.

"Well, at least you have something here to wait for. I just feel like I'm here for decoration."

"A very handsome decoration," Anakin smiled at Obi-Wan, and was taken aback as the older man turned away. "Ah- I'm sorry. I just mean-he was the one who demanded that I came here, and now we're just hanging about."

"Yes, well." Obi-Wan cleared his throat, and turned back. "If you would try not to complain about the Chancellor's habits within his own waiting room, where he's surely listening."

"Oh true-"Anakin started to say, but the Chancellor opened the grand doors to his office and cut him off mid-sentence.

"Anakin, my boy, I trust you haven't been waiting long?" The Chancellor opened his arms magnanimously.

Anakin sent Obi-Wan a look. "Not at all," he told the elderly man. "Master Kenobi told me that you wanted to see me?"

"Of course! I'm so glad you could make time in you busy schedule for me. Will Master Kenobi be joining us?"The Chancellor directed a pointed look in Obi-Wan's direction.

Anakin looked at Obi-Wan. "I was thinking that would be prudent. He did come all this way." He mustered up his most adult persona, and tried to smile professionally. The Chancellor was always supportive of Anakin, but Anakin didn't always know how to act around the elderly statesman.

The Chancellor's motion for the pair to enter seemed unusually stilted, but Anakin brushed it off. It had been a weird day for everyone, though the Chancellor probably hadn't started his off with a raging hangover. Through the double doors, the Chancellor's room was bright and luxurious, light fitting in through the giant glass windows, and couches arranged through the office. It was one of Anakin's longtime dreams to throw himself down on one of those couches. Instead, though, he settled down in one of the office chairs. Obi-Wan remained standing, hovering anxiously over Anakin's shoulder.

"So, my boy, and Master Kenobi-" The Chancellor settled himself down in his chair, like a large bird finding its parch. "How is the war going?"

Anakin shrugged. "It's been difficult. The clones are on edge, so it's good for them to get a little time planet side. Congratulations on consolidating the banks, by the way." Anakin readjusted himself in his seat, trying to think of more grown-up things to say. "That was a great victory for the Republic."

"It is only a preventative measure, but I thank you. Your help with the traitor, Clovis, brought peace to many. Speaking of-"The Chancellor side-eyed Obi-Wan before continuing, "How is the Senator Amidala after her encounter with that vile man?"

Analen wiggled in his seat. 'Senator Amidala has found that my, uh, anti-pacifist stance is not fitting into her, uh-lifestyle?" He sent a pleading glance towards Obi-Wan, who stepped in to help.

"Senator Amidala will be safest if we leave her out of Council affairs, from now on. We feel that keeping her out of harm's way will be greatly beneficial to her health. Chancellor, I'm sorry, I must ask, did you call General Skywalker and myself to your office so urgently just to chat?" Obi-Wan's jaw was tight, and it seemed to Anakin that he was anticipating some sort of physical violence. It took a good deal of self-preservation to keep Anakin from reaching out and tugging on the end of Obi-Wan's tunic.

"That is probably wise." The Chancellor nodded, acquising to Obi-Wan's statement about Padme. "And am I not allowed to have a conversation with the Republic's most heroic man?"

Obi-Wan looked back at Anakin, then at the Chancellor, his expression unreadable. "No. He's a Jedi before he is your man, Chancellor. I hope that you don't take this as an offense, but calling him here is highly inappropriate, and a corruption of our religion, as well as an infringement on the war effort."

"Ah." The Chancellor coughed, but Anakin couldn't take his eyes off of Obi-Wan. "Well, I'm very sorry, I didn't realize that the Jedi took their religious duties so, uh, seriously. Well, I'm sorry, I meant no offense, I just wished to offer my support to General Skywalker." The Chancellor stood up, and motioned that the two could leave. "General Skywalker, I do hope that you'll continue to send me updates on the front, I most rely on them. You are my eyes and ears in the midst of this chaos."

"Of course, Chancellor." Anakin bowed, and tried not to run out of the room, Obi-Wan following behind in a more stately fashion.

As soon as they got to the elevator, Obi-Wan grabbed into Anakin's arm, his eyes burning. "Does he always treat you like that?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Treat you like his errand boy, like you should just come up and chat whenever you feel like it?" Obi-Wan was spitting mad, his face turning read, and Anakin could't tell if he was mad at Anakin, or at the Chancellor.

Anakin pulled away, suddenly angry. "Of course. He says I'm the Chosen one, that people should be listening to me, and the Council sure as hell doesn't listen to a fucking word I say-"

Obi-Wan was already shaking his head, his arm still outstretched to touch Anakin, the color falling in his cheeks. "No," he said, shaking his head, "they don't. But, why don't you came to me? I'm here for you Anakin, I won't turn you into the Council and I'm not going to try to - I promise, Anakin, I will always have your best interest in mind. You're the best man I know, An. You stopped being anyone's boy a long time ago."

The absolute gratitude and love Anakin felt for Obi-Wan welled up inside of him violently. He threw his arms around his friend and pulled him into a hug, as tightly as he could, barely noting Obi-Wan's startled gasp. He stepped back as the elevator reached the bottom floor, and wiped his eyes. "Thank you, Obi," he said, his voice quiet. "Thank you. It's hard when I feel like the Chancellor is the only one who will listen to me, but--"

"But he won't be the only one who listens to you. Not anymore," Obi-Wan promised. He reached out and put his hand on Anakin's arm, but still, Obi-Wan wouldn't look at him. "Let's leave, yeah?" was all he said, and Anakin followed him out of the Senate building.

* *

Anakin had orders to ship out the next day. The orders came over the comm link when he was walking back from the Senate building, and Obi-Wan met the news with a grimace. "Are you going to miss me?"Anakin asked, elbowing Obi-Wan in the side.

"What sort of question is that?" Obi-Wan demanded, but he didn't give an answer one way or the other.

Alone late that night, Anakin bought himself a bottle of hard alcohol and locked himself in his room, drinking directly from the bottle. Between last night and this morning, Anakin didn't know which way was up anymore, especially when Obi-Wan was concerned.

The way Obi-Wan had defended him in the elevator, but how he couldn't look at Anakin in the eye most of the time. All of the things Anakin had done last night while drunk probably hadn't made any of that better... he took another drink, and the liquor burned the back of his throat. Through his pyjamas bottoms, he could feel his dick harding at the thought of Obi-Wan, and his light eyes against his beard. He groaned, and he took another drink. Even though, the night would be so much nicer with Obi-Wan next to him, his freckled shouders, the flush of his cheeks spready down his chest- Anakin closed his eyes and groaned- He was too drunk already, or maybe not drunk enough.

Almost subconsciously, he reached down and began to press himself through the fabric of his pajama pants, feeling his length through his underwear. His thoughts about Obi-Wan, and how Obi-Wan would feel doing this to him, his rough hands against Anakin, his mouth, the soft blue at his eyes looking up at Anakin as he took Anakin in his mouth. Anakin closed his eyes and undid the top of his pants--

"Is everything alright in there?" Obi-Wan's catious knock at the door broke Anakin out of his thoughts.

Anakin swore. "Yeah. Come on in." He pulled blankets from the bed up over his waist, piling them up unceremoniously. 

The door opened, and Obi-Wan stepped in from the hallway. "Are you alright? Anakin, are you drunk already?" His voice took on a shade of disapproval.

"Maybe," Anakin slurred. "I don't know. They're making me leave tomorrow."

"They are." Obi-Wan sat at the foot of Anakin's bed, and smoothed his hands on the sheets, still not making eye contact. "They're sending me out, too."

"Oh, no. Maybe-maybe well have a battle together? So we won't be apart for too long."

Obi-Wan looked up at Anakin almost hopefully. "You look forward to being with me?"

Anakin felt like his "yeah" was a little too breathless.

Obi-Wan looked down at the sheets like they were the only interesting thing in the room. "There's something, I think, that happened dight that the been thinking about-"

"Oh no-"

"No, it's not bad. It's, well." Obi-Wan in his hand through his hair and looked out the window. "It's something that I've seen thinking about? Last night, you were all over me, touching me, it seemed very flirtatious-"

"Oh , oh no-" So it had been noticeable. Oh no.

"Right, well" Obi-Wan still would not meet his eyes. "I just wanted to let you know, that you were doing that, while you were--."

Anakin took a big drink from the bottle, hard enough to make his eyes water. "I'm sorry, I try not to think about you like that, but sometimes I can't help it--"

Obi-Wan looked at him in the face for the second time that day. "What-? You think about me like that?"

Anakin held into the bottle and the edge of his sheet so tight that his knuckles turned white. "Please, dont tell the Council, I'll be good, I'll go far away and I won't talk to you again if I can't keep myself together, but I get so drunk and you look so pretty-"

Obi-Wan leaned forward and with a sudden movement, put his lips against Anakin's, his fingers knotting into Anakin's hair. His lips were so soft, his mouth was warm, the way he held Anakin's head and face sent warmth throughout Anakin; through his stomach, to his dick, through his entire body. His body was angled over the bed, his hands pressing Anakin's mouth to his. After what could've been five minutes, could've been an hour, he pulled away. "So." Obi-Wan said, and he sat back down.

Anakin moaned incoherently, and reached out to pull Obi-Wan back.

"Wait -this is okay?" Obi-Wan looked at him, startled. "Anakin, we're Jedi, do you think that-"

"No. I don't want to. Obi-Wan-" Anakin pulled himself even closer, and this time he took Obi-Wan's face in his hands, pulling it close to his own. "I think about this when I'm sleeping, when I'm awake, when I'm touching myself, I think about the way your mouth looks and the way it would feel and now that I know, I'm never going to stop thinking about it.'' Anakin wet his lips and looked at Obi-Wan's face. "Please, Obi," he begged, and he didn't know what he was even begging for.

Obi-Wan's exhale was light, and he closed his eyes in preparation, and just being this near to him, Anakin felt high. "Please, Obi," he begged again, and Obi-Wan's communicator went off.

"Kenobi, come in," Mash Windu's voice filled Anakin's dorm through his commlink. "Kenobi, where are you?"

Obi-Wan groaned and pulled away, taking his hands off of Anakin's face. "Wait for me," he said, pointing at Anakin, his tone a cross between admonishment and disbelief. Anakin heard him as he went down the hall, and he fell back on his pillows, drunk with the feeling of Obi-Wan underneath his fingers. By the time Anakin had fallen asleep, Obi-Wan had still not returned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! chapters will probably slow down to like twice a week, I just wanted to get this all up. Let me know what you're thinking! thank you so much for your support, ily all. :)


	4. Chapter 4

Anakin met up with Rex on the transport the next morning with a steaming Cup of caf and a headache that pounded against the constraints of his skull. The sky of Coruscant was still dark when the transport pulled up wayside the barracks, and the men stumbled onboard.

"Interesting weekend, General?" Rex asked. His helmet was tucked under his arm, and a lopsided grin split his mouth.

"Can you tell just by looking at me?" Anakin groaned and tucked his head into the crux of his elbow. It was taking everything in him to keep on two feet.

Rex leaned forward and tucked a strand of Anakin's half-up, half-down hair behind his ear. "You usually don't usually wear your hair in a top-knot. And honestly, you look like you're still drunk."

Anakin made a face and rested his head briefly on Rex's shoulder plate. "Mistakes were definitely made."

Rex laughed, and put him in the back lightly. "You'll be okay."

Anakin stood up and shook his head, trying not to throw up from the pain. Would he be okay? Obi-Wan--he didn't know if he had the strength to think about that right now. To think about Obi-Wan's beard against his face, his hand on his back, and then the way he had run out of the room and not come back. There was a pain and a joy that mixed up inside of him that Anakin didn't know how to understand. He took another sip of caf and tried to clear his head.

"That bad?" Rex looked him up and down, and asked in a low voice, "Did you run into the Senator?"

"Thank god, no" , Anakin shook his head. What would he do without Rex? The two had been brothers for so long that all it took was for Rex to see him to know that something was wrong. "I'll tell you about it later, maybe, just know that I'm hungover all the way to hell. How are you?"

Rex shrugged." A couple of the men got into trouble, got a little too drunk and handsy-"

"Cheers-"

"Fuck Skywalker, really? Well, I had to deal with that for a good portion of yesterday. I spent a lot of money on food, let me tell you, I think I gained five pounds." Rex slapped his stomach through his armor, and Anakin laughed.

"Give me a list of men who acted up, and I'll deal with them. I'm glad you had a decent break, though I hope you brought food with you, I need something heavy and greasy right now.: He smiled at Rex through the steam from his cup. "And I'm glad to have you around."

"Of course, General." Rex smiled, and the transport took off, rattling slightly as it flew over the capital planet.

The men that needed discipline were relatively new to the 501st, right off of Kamino. When the clones were settled back in the transport, Anakin called them up to the bridge, and faced them with his hands across his back, trying to project the image of maturity and gravitas, and to sound like not too much of a hypocrite. "So, I heard you two were misrepresenting the Republic landside?"

The two clones shifted uncomfortably underneath Anakin's gaze. "Well, Sir, we were just having a good time-" One of the began.

Anakin's thoughts drifted as he admonished them-True enough, he hadn't groped at strangers, but what he'd done had almost been worse, hadn't it? He'd driven Obi-Wan away from him, to the point where- he checked his communicator- and Obi-Wan still hadn't messaged him. He'd driven his dearest and most loved friend away, because he had been too stupid to think clearly. And Anakin would have enjoyed everything that happened between them, whatever would have happened between them, all the way to the end. He knew that he would enjoy the memory in private, even if Obi-Wan never spoke to him again. "Well," he said, finishing up his lecture, "Don't let it happen again. You're lucky the Captain hasn't had you court martialed, but you might not be so lucky next time, so watch yourself."

The men saluted awkwardly, and hurried away. Anakin watched them go. Had he handled that well? He couldn't tell. All he could think about was the brush of Obi-Wan's hand on his cheeks.

The 501st had orders to head out to to Mon Calamari, the water planet, to reinforce the Republican presence around the system. Anakin didn't understand why, but it wasn't his job to ask questions. He stood at the bridge, and watched lightspace streak past the cruiser.

***

The 212th had been called away from Coruscant in the middle of the night to escort the Senator Amidala from the Senate building to Naboo. Obi-Wan, when he had recieved the call, pulled from the dark of Anakin's bedroom, had asked if it was really necessary that a whole platoon accompany a single senator. Windu had shrugged, and answered- "Chancellor's orders." So Obi-Wan was headed quickly onto a troop transport, headed to a cruiser, to be a babysitter for a fully competent Senator.

Obi-Wan wanted, with every bone of his body, to leave the Senator waiting for just 10 more minutes, so he could go back to the warmth of Anakin, and the soft, surprised expression on his face after Obi-Wan had pulled him close- He would have run his hands through Anakin's hair, pulled Anakin's shirt up over his head- but there was the expectant figure of Windu watching him, so Obi-Wan left Anakin lying in the dark, alone.

Now, he lay in his state room on his cruiser, fully clothed except for the boots he had thrown into a corner. He had to be ready at a moment's notice if the Senator needed him, but he didn't know if he could face Padme right now. He'd managed to exchange a couple of niceties with her, when she'd first boarded, but all he could think about was Anakin. Did Anakin still think she was pretty? Did Anakin reach out and touch her in the way he had touched Obi-Wan? He couldn't think that way. Obi-Wan was already dangerously close to breaking every single rule in the Code, he couldn't get blind angry at Amidala too.

But, what had she had with Anakin that Obi-Wan would never have? Surely, when Obi-Wan came face to face with Anakin again, Anakin would have regrets. Or, would he just be angry that Obi-Wan had walked away? If Obi-Wan had been in Anakin's position - lying back on his bed, hands behind his head- but, no, no, not like that-- he would have been so angry. Anakin had been begging him; Anakin the Chosen One, the most beautiful man in the galaxy, had been begging him, Obi-Wan, for his attention.

Anakin had begged him to stay, and Obi-Wan had left. Obi-Wan didn't know if he could forgive himself either.

Obi-Wan groaned and put his hands on his face. He could still see Anakin, breathless in the dark, his fingers tight on his bed sheets, the gravelly tone that escaped Anakin's lips as he'd groveled, the promise to never stop thinking about him and the way they had kissed. Obi-Wan should sit down, should meditate somewhere and never think about what had happened ever again. But that was all he wanted to think about. He only wanted Anakin, now and for the rest of his life.

He felt the lurch as the ship went into hyperspace. Obi-Wan lay in bed for another couple of standard hours, trying to find some sense of inner peace that didn't come accompanied with Anakin's face. Eventually, though, his comm beeped, and Obi-Wan was compelled to go into the Senator's chambers. He greeted Padme with a bow, and tried to keep his expression neutral.

"Master Kenobi," she said, smiling at him. The stateroom on the cruiser was the lap of luxury, which seemed rather gauche for a warship. "Would you join me for breakfast? I know you weren't given time to eat before the Chancellor asked you to mind me."

"Of course, milady." Obi-Wan sat across from Padme at the well laid breakfast table. If only the clones could have some of this spread. It didn't feel right to reserve all this luxury for only one person. The stateroom was only one room, with a large bed dominating the wall, and the dining area taking up the center of the space. "Do you know why I was called to mind you? You are quite capable, and you always have been."

Padme was bare-faced, and she was dressed in relatively relaxed clothes, her hair piled up in a bun over her head. "I can't say I know why either. If I had any guess, it just seemed like the Chancellor thought you were getting bored in Coruscant, and that he thought you would be interested in visiting Naboo We have so few opportunities for casual travel in wartime, why not take advantage of it when we can?"

A cold feeling settled in Obi-Wan's stomach. "While I appreciate the thought, it is not the Chancellor's directive to order about the Jedi. Truthfully, that duty lies only with the Council." Obi-Wan looked down at his empty plate. "I had a bit of a discussion with the Chancellor about this same sentiment yesterday, and I fear that this assignment is just a demonstration of his power." 

"Oh!"Padme set her tea-cop down on her saucer gently. "If that win true, that would be most... unscrupulous of him. Though, Obi-Wan, if I am being entirely honest with you, the Chancellor has been taking a particular notice in the actins of the Jedi of late. Especially, - "

Obi-Wan noticed her hesitation and nodded. "Anakin?" he asked, hoping his face didn't give away his turmoil. "Yes, this is where the disagreement between the two of us arose. He asked Anakin to his office, and I accompanied him. The Chancellor was asking unprompted questions about private matters, including yourself, Senator." Obi-Wan didn't know what wicked compulsion forced him to say that, but he was glad he did.

A pretty pink blush colored the Senators face. "Did he?" Padme asked. "And what did Ani-- I'm sorry, General Skywalker, have to say?"

"He didn't tell the Chancellor much, he seemed embarrassed by the intrusion, but privately he has indicated that the two of you had a falling out after the incident with Clovis." The two of you had a falling out, and now he wants me instead, Obi-Wan didn't say. He took a pastry off the tray, and he pulled it apart with his fingers, so that he wouldn't stare Padme down.

"Is that all he said?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Well, I hope I can reconcile with him soon, it was a silly misunderstanding." She bit into her breakfast delicately, and Obi-Wan felt his stomach sink into his toes.

"What do you mean by that, Senator?" Obi-Wan tried to keep himself from grinding his teeth against each other. "You do realize that relationships outside of the scope of amiable friendships are frowned upon in the Temple, and although Anakin is not a very good Jedi--he is still a member of our Order, and should still follower our rules." Obi-Wan felt like a dirty hypocrite, preaching the Jedi Code to the woman in front of him, when he had felt her ex-partner's cock through his pants only last night, but he was overcome with the sudden desire to make sure Padme never spoke to Anakin ever again. 

"Well--" Padme blushed again, and put her fork down in front of her. "I'm sure you know, Master Kenobi, that Anakin has never felt like the rules of the Order applied to him--"

"They do, now. I do not know what you and the Chancellor are insinuating, but Anakin is not above the Code of the Order, no matter how powerful he is. Do you need anything else from me today, Senator Amidala?" 

Padme's smile was hard. "Yes, General Kenobi. Thank you for your words of wisdom. I will be sure to pass them on to General Skywalker next time I see them." 

Obi-Wan fought the urge to roll his eyes as he swept out of the room. She would not be speaking to Anakin about the nuances of their relationship, not if Obi-Wan could help it.

***

Anakin turned on his communicator as soon as it went off. The cruiser had been sitting outside Mon Calamari for the better part of a standard day, waiting for further instruction, and Anakin had spent most of that day waiting for Obi-Wan to call. He had locked himself in his room and done push-ups until his arms were shaking, so maybe he could stop thinking about the fact that Obi-Wan hadn't even messaged. Now, though, the light of his handheld-holo illuminated the dark of his small room, and the figure of Obi-Wan appeared over his hand. Anakin smiled involuntarily.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan said, one hand stroking his beard, as always.

"The you are! I wondered when you'd gone off to-"

"Yes," Obi-Wan cut him off suddenly, and Anakin felt his heart drop in his chest. "The Chancellor," Obi-Wan said, with a particular emphasis that forced Anakin to pay attention, "Required that I transport Senator Amidala to Naboo, with no delay."

"Oh-oh. Is she there?" Why would the Chancellor be involved? Why Padme?"

"The Senator is not with me presently. But, Anakin she would like if you would reach out to her-"

Anakin moaned and fell back against his bed. "Oh no. Obi-thats not something I want to deal with. Like, seriously, you have no idea how fucked up that whole situation is-"

"Well." Anakin could hear the gentle smile that crept across Obi-Wan's face. "Don't shoot the messenger, please? I told her that any relationship between you was untoward and against the Jedi Code, but she invited she reached out anyways--"

Anakin sat up and smiled at the hologram. "My hero. I guess ... I need to talk to her one day, but I don't want it to be today, and I don't want to be right now. But, can we talk?"

Obi-Wan looked over his shoulder, a little flustered. "I don't know how much I can say, but-"

"I really liked our conversation the night before last," Anakin said in a rush. "I would like very much if we could have a conversation like that again, maybe when I'm not drunk, so we could talk about, um, things, without me being so dumb all the time."

"Ani-" Obi-Wan let out a short breath, and Anakin's heart jumped into his chest. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. I do need to talk to you about some things, though. Some things that you are really not going to like, but that I want to tell you because they're-- important to our conversation." Anakin scratched the back of his head. "Meet up with me after you drop the Senator off?"

The mask that Obi-Wan held over his facial features slipped, and Anakin could see how relieved he was. Was he happy that Anakin didn't want to talk to Padme anymore, or that Anakin wanted to see him again? Anakin dreaded telling Obi-Wan everything that had happened between him and Padme, but he couldn't pin Obi-Wan down and have his way with him if he didn't. He said goodbye to Obi-Wan as professionally as he knew how, and after the link was closed, he curled up in the floor, joy and worry overwhelming him.

***

Obi-Wan escorted Padme planetside. The trip had been short and uneventful, furthering the mystery of why Obi-Wan had needed to accompany Padme at all. The young senator seemed grateful enough for Obi-Wan's company, though. As they took a transport to the surface, Padme turned to Obi-Wan and put her hand on Obi-Wan's arm. "When you see General Skywalker, would you ask him again to contact me? I know Jedi are not supposed to have connections, but in this time of war I get worried that I'll never hear from him again."

"Ah." Obi-Wan shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Their conversation was still stiff and uncomfortable, and Obi-Wan didn't want to make it any easier between them. "I spoke with him earlier, and he seemed unwilling to reach out, and perhaps it is for the best. Personal distractions could cause him more harm than good."

Padme composed herself and pulled away from Obi-Wan. She seemed like she was steeling herself to say something terrible, and she looked at Obi-Wan through her long lashes. For a moment, Obi-Wan was worried that she was coming on to him. "Obi-Wan, the relationship between Anakin and I was-- very personal. And I know I am not supposed to tell you this, I think that it's important that you know."

Was she trying to get Anakin in trouble? "I'm aware, Senator," Obi-Wan said, trying to keep his tone neutral. "I would caution you not to speak about it to anyone else, because the repercussions could be quite severe."

"Of course. But, I'm sure you understand my concern." Padme leaned closer to Obi-Wan, in an attempt to convey her sincerity. "Obi-Wan, we were, for a time, married, and I really need to discuss-"

"I'm sorry?"

"I thought you knew- Captain Rex knew, the Chancellor is aware, I thought you did too-"

"I most certainly did not, Senator." Obi-Wan could barely contain the fury that welled up inside of him. Married? Why wouldn't Anakin tell him, were they still-how had he not noticed that the light of his life was so involved with someone else? "This is- -unorthodox," he managed to say, his hands balling into fists at his side.

"Please don't tell the Council, he'd never forgive me," Padme's face was pulled into a look of consternation. "I told him never to talk to me after he drove me away from Clovis, you know how he can be, but now I regret speaking so harshly, especially now that I realize I might never speak to him again, and how he was right about Clovis after all-"

Obi-Wan shook his head. He had never been so angry in his life, his jaw was clenched so tightly that pain radiated down his neck. "I won't tell the Council," he said shortly. "But I will not be your romantic go-between for yourself and Anakin either. You are an adult, Senator, conduct yourself like one." He turned in his seat and stared resolutely forward.

Padme had the grace to look at her knees, shame-faced. When she departed the transport, her farewell was stiff. Obi-Wan merely nodded. As soon as he was back on the cruiser, he comm'd Cody. "Prepare the men for the jump into hyperspace, " he said, "We're meeting up with the 501st at Mon Calamari."

***

Anakin stood in the hangar with Rex, bouncing on the balls of his feet. A transport bringing Obi-Wan and Cody from Obi-Wan's cruiser was incoming, and Anakin was naseous with excitement. He had to level with Obi-Wan, for sure, but Anakin was desperate to see Obi-Wan's face, to make sure that their entanglement in the dark was not just a one-time thing.

Rex was watching Anakin out of the corner of his eye. "You know, I'm excited about seeing Cody, but I'm not bouncing off the walls."

"It's been a weird couple of days, alright?" It had been. Everyone in the 501st was on edge from the lack of action and lack of direction, and Anakin wasn't immune. The 501st was used to being in the thick of battles, not just orbiting aimlessly around a Republican allied planet. 

Rex nodded as the transport ship pulled into the hanger, and Cody and Obi-Wan disembarked. The latter was clearly agitated, and greeted Rex as tersely as possible. Obi-Wan's demeanor was radically different from what Anakin expected it would be. He thought at least that Obi-Wan would be happy, not the frightening angry and only slightly in-control man that stood before him now. "Master," he asked, as Obi-Wan swept across the hangar. "Is something wrong?"

Obi-Wan nodded tersely at the clones. "Excuse us for a moment. You are dismissed." Cody and Rex saluted smartly, and Obi-Wan gestured to Anakin sharply. "Married!?" he said, as soon as they had some distance between them and their men. He grabbed Anakin's arm roughly and pulled him halfway across the hangar, hissing in his ear. "You married her? What the absolute hell, Anakin!"

Anakin's stomach dropped into his toes. "Shit, I'm sorry, I was going to tell you today -it wasn't illegal, I was 18-"

"You've been married since you were 18!"

"You know how dumb I was when I was 18!"

"It's only been two years! And you are still incredibly stupid!" At some point, Obi-Wan's whispering had devolved into a pusedo-shriek. His hair was wild from where he had run his hands through it, and Anakin could feel Obi-Wan's pulse racing through his palm on Anakin's arm. 'What were you thinking?"

"I don't know, that she was really pretty and I wanted to fuck her? It's okay, I don't have the same hang-ups anymore. I don't need to be married to have sex, you don't need to worry."

Obi-Wan looked like he was about fit to explode, and he was drawing the attention of more than a few curious clones. At that, though, he completely deflated and let go of Anakin's arm, dissolving into laughter. He bent double, his hands on his knees, and Anakin shot Rex a worried glance. Rex, for his part, was trying very hard not to stare.

"Obi-Wan? Are you alright?" Anakin bent down and grabbed onto his arm, pulling Obi-Wan up.

"You are-you are the dumbest, most cocky asshole that I have ever met in my life -" Obi-Wan spluttered, his face turning red, "You are an egotistical cunt of a man, and I do not know what I would do without you-"

Anakin didn't know if he should be flattered or angry. He settled for patting Obi-Wan gently on the shoulder, and staring helplessly across the hanger at Rex, who had now given up any pretext that he hadn't been staring. "Listen," he said bending over so that he could speak in the shorter man's ear, "You gotta tell me what's going on. Rex thinks that you're having a fit."

Obi-Wan stood up and brushed down the front of his tunic. Then were tears in his eyes, and Anakin had never been more confused. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice calmer. "I'm-I am so mad at you right now." Obi-Wan put his hands on Anakin's shoulders. "I am so mad at you, that I do not even know how to put it into words. I am so frustrated, that you would break the Code, and -get so involved with a Senator, of all people," his voice was low, and Anakin could tell that he was getting worked up again, but Obi-Wan calmed himself.

"That was true. Listen-okay" Anakin ran he had through his hair. "There are lot of things I want to say to you, and a crowded hanger is not really the place I wanted to discuss all of this? But, then an a lot of reasons why I don't want to speak to Padme anymore, and one of them is you. But, our previous conversation, I just need to know-" Anakin tried to keep the edge of desperation from his voice.

Obi-Wan shook his head. "I'm still mad. I am so mad at you. But, I'll come and," he flushed, "talk with you later? Both real talking, and--"

Anakin nodded and followed Obi-Wan up to the bridge, still wearing a dazed smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that there are so many changes in perspectives! I hope it's not too jarring


	5. Chapter 5

"So - did Kenobi came all the way he just to chew you out?" Rex bent in close to Anakin and spoke in a low tone that wasn't audible outside of thin. They were standing side-by-side on the bridge, watching Obi-Wan and Cody manipulate a holo projection of the fleet outside Mon Calamari.

Anakin grimaced. "Pretty much."

Rex looked to Anakin to fill out more details, but Anakin said nothing, refusing to look at his friend. Rex rolled his eyes. "Alright, then. If you're not going to tell me, at least tell me if me and my men are going to be wrapped up in one of you and Kenobi's schemes-"

"No, Rex, nothing like that-" Anakin coughed and put his fist up to his mouth to hide his face. "It's more, uh- personal than that. Like- well, the senator told him some stuff, and I guess Kenobi saw red and got one here as fast as he could to, you know-"

"Jesus." Rex shook his head, looking overwhelmed by this- "Is he going to kick you out of the Order? Because if he does, I better not be getting a new, shittier General-"

Anakin shook his head-"I think I've talked him out of it, but I'm going to have to be on my best behavior for a while."

"Well then, I'll go tell the men to be prepared to move to a different company--"

"Rex, come on, don't be like that-"

"What, sir, are you able to stay out of trouble for longer than a week?" Rex shook his head and pulled his helmet on. He didn't sound angry, just frustrated, and that hit Anakin like a punch to his gut. "Seriously Sir, if this fucks all of us our because you can't keep your dick in your pants-"

"I promise Rex." Anakin's voice was loud in the hushed atmosphere of the bridge. "That won't happen." Rex shook his head as he walked away, but Anakin could see that a bit of tension leaked out of his shoulders. Rex was right. Whatever happened between Anakin and everyone else, the lives and safety of his men depended on it. Anakin sighed and rubbed his arms. The only ones who had looked up at the sound of his voice were Obi-Wan and Cody. The rest of the bridge was full of the 501st, who were more than accustomed to Anakin and Rex's outbursts.

Obi-Wan left the holograph, and walked our to Anakin. "Is everything alright?"

"Eurything's fine. Rex, as usual, is the adult around here." Anakin smiled ruefully and shook his hair out with his hand.

Obi-Wan looked at him, and then at Rex's retreating back, and nodded slowly. "Okay. I didn't know that the two of you were so close. Is there anyone on this ship who you don't have a personal attachment to?"

Anakin looked down at his feet. "Honestly? No." He looked back up at Obi-Wan, looking at the older man from his feet to the top of his head, his broad shoulders, his arms crossed over his chest, his reddish beard neatly trimmed. Anakin smiled, but his heart was heavy. What would happen to Rex if Anakin was gone? "I don't think I'm a very good Jedi."

Obi-Wan shook his head. "I don't know about that-"

"No. I know that I'm not. But-" Anakin shook his head. "I can't leave the Order yet. I have to see this all through."

Obi-Wan's face donned a strange expression, and he stood next to Anakin, the two of them quiet in their thoughts, as the quiet lull of the bridge moved around them.

** *

Anakin recieved a message from the Senate that instructed him to remained stationed outside of Mon Calamari. The waiting was beginning to feel more and more like a siege, which made Anakin feel itchy and gross - Mon Calamari was a Republic planet, after all, why would they need to place it under siege?- but if he went against orders, it wasn't going to be his life at risk.

Obi-Wan recieved a transmission from the Council demanding to know why he had changed his course to intercept Anakin, to which he had no real good answer. Anakin watched him stutter through an excuse- "Well, I had finished escorting the Senator, and it seemed like I could be put to good use here-" with a sense of amusement.

After Obi-Wan had ended the transmission, with promises to attend to future directives as soon as they came in, he turned to Anakin. "That technically went--better than expected."

"Technically. After watching me lie for ten years, you think you would've picked up some tips, though."

"Your lies have no substance, you're just good at swaggering around in front of the Council." Obi-Wan shook his head. "No one should be looking to you for advice on anything."

Anakin was affronted. "Well, God, tell me how you really feel."

"I don't mean that poorly." Obi-Wan reached out and touched Anakin's shoulder. The two were standing in the comms room, and the gentle lights and sounds of sensors filled up the empty space. "I'm just saying, your approach wouldn't work, coming from me. I don't have your pretty face, or charisma."

Anakin raised his eyebrows. "If you say so, old man."

"Well--" Obi-Wan reached out, as though to touch Anakin on the shoulder, but he withdrew his hand. "Would you like to go somewhere to talk?"

"Alright, sure." Fuck, this was awkward. He had never felt this stilted sort of tension between himself and his former Master, and the enthusiasm he'd felt on Coruscant was muted. Now, with Obi-Wan standing in front of him, the apprehension he felt was overwhelming. Obi-Wan was a real person, and there were all of these real life things that meant something. And also, Anakin was no longer drunk. And, Obi-Wan was still the most beautiful man that Anakin had ever seen. He followed Obi-Wan out of the comms room and down the hallway to his quarters, his heartbeat so loud it made him sick.

Pausing, Obi-Wan led Anakin into the quarters he had been given, which were even barer than Anakin's own. He sat down on the edge of his cot and looked up at Anakin, his hands on his knees. "Well," Obi-Wan said, "have a seat?"

Anakin threw himself down next to Obi-Wan, sitting back against the wall. In the dim light, he could see flecks of gold in Obi-Wan's beard. "I don't want this to be weird between us," he said, letting an edge into his voice. "I don't want whatever this is to make everything so tense and awkward between us, that we don't talk to each other anymore."

Obi-Wan smiled over his shoulder to Anakin. "Okay," he said. "I wouldn't want you to feel like I'm inaccessible to you, ever. And, if you want to not talk about this, that's okay. We can sit and talk about everything else. We always can, and I hope that if we do have some sort of falling out, we'll always find our way back to each other-"

Anakin leaned forward suddenly, but lost his nerve halfway through the motion, settling with putting his hand on Obi-Wan's upper thigh. "Do you mean that?"

Obi-Wan smiled, and leaned forward, so that his forehead touched against Anakin's. "It takes two people to make anything work, but I know that at the end of the day, whatever disagreements we have, I want us to at least be able to still talk to each other."

Anakin smiled and closed his eyes, letting the warmth of Obi-Wan's skin flow through his head and down through his chest and arms. "That's what I would want too. You know, if we ever do fight." He pulled his head back, and looked at Obi-Wan. The two of them were still sitting very close, the warmth of Obi-Wan's thighs pressing into Anakin's own. "That's what I think about Padme. I have to be completely honest with you, I still care about her, just not romantically anymore. I haven't for some time, and the thing with Clovis just really brought to light all of our differences-"

"You don't need to explain anything to me, you know."

"I think I do, but beyond that, I want to. And I know I need to have this conversation with Padme too, I'm just. Having difficulty putting everything into words. It's hard to tell someone that you're not the same person you were when you were eighteen. I don't think she's going to understand, that I married her when I was caught up in these feelings of love and being accepted, but now I realize--she's not the only one who loves me and accepts me. And I don't need to marry the first person who shows me kindness like that." He squeezed Obi-Wan's upper thigh, just once.

When Obi-Wan spoke, he sounded choked up. -"Thank you, for finding the words to tell me. I let Padme have it, let me tell you-"

Anakin laughed softly, and the movement of his leg went through Obi-Wan's body too. "What did she do to you?"

"Nothing. Except for wanting you. And I didnt want her to."

Anakin was flattered and exasperated at the same time. "Possessive, much?" He leaned his head against Obi-Wan's again, and Obi-Wan didn't pull away.

"I don't mean to be." Obi-Wan sounded remorseful, even as Anakin chuckled. He reached up and put his hand in the side of Obi-Wan's face, Obi-Wan's beard tickling his palm. "I'm just scared."

Anakin didn't ask why. He was scared too. He could feel Obi-Wan's heart beat through his forehead, and through his thighs-- he could feel Obi-Wan's breath across his face. "What happens now?"

"What happens now? What do you mean?"

"Between the two of us. What are we going to do? Obi-Wan, if I get kicked out of the Order, that's fine, but I can't put you or Rex in danger, but I don't know if I can ever be in a room with you again, without thinking about-"

Obi-Wan put his hand behind Anakin's head, cradling the nape of his neck, and slipping his head so that his cheek was pressed against Anakin's own. His breath was warm against Anakin's neck, and his voice was low in Anakin's ear. "I know. I don't want to let you go either- Anakin, I have wanted to reach out and touch you since sometime last year, and the fact that you want me back-" his intake of breath was low and shaky. "But you are so much more important than that to me. I know that means that I'm breaking all the rules, but I would do it again, and again."

Anakin smiled, and pulled back away from Obi-Wan, so he could hold the man's face in his hands. "That doesn't answer my question, old man. What do we do about this? What do we do about--us?"

Obi-Wan leaned forward and kissed him, and Anakin's heart soared through his chest, warmth diffusing through Anakin's limbs. He felt delirious, just at the touch of Obi-Wan's lips, and he pushed back against Obi-Wan's face, tangling his fingers in Obi Wan's hair. He pushed Obi-Wan back against the edge of the bed, feeling the muscles in Obi-Wan's arms pressing against him. It was just the two of them in the whole world, and the dark bedroom was all that Anakin could bring himself to care about.

Obi-Wan's fingers dug into Anakin 's tunic, fingers against his chest. Both of them were gasping against each other, and Anakin fought the desire to deepen the kiss and pull off Obi-Wan's clothes. Instead he sat up, pulling away, so that his arms were caging Obi-Wan in. "You didn't answer me."

Obi-Wan, lying flat on his back, laughed, he reached up to touch the planes of Anakin's faces running his callused fingers our Anakin's forehead down to the lower lines of his jaw. "What was the question again? For some reason, I forgot."

Anakin growled in the back of his throat, and pushed his head into Obi-Wan's chest. "You can't keep defying orders to come and make out with me like a teenager in my room. That's my job."

Obi-Wan laughed, and the closeness of the sound warmed Anakin from top to bottom. He bent forward and kissed Obi-Wan's bottom lip, biting it slightly. Obi-Wan shuddered and grabbed onto Anakin. "I guess you'll have to do your job more often, then."

"That's not a fucking answer."

"I know it's not, but Ani, I'm afraid I don't have any better one, for now. Let's answer the question of the war, first, and maybe then-"

Anakin grabbed Obi-Wan's face and kissed him to shut him up, because that was the right answer, but it wasn't the one Anakin wanted to hear. In retaliation, Anakin pulled down Obi-Wan's pants, tugging at the waist band, and Obi-Wan gasped, sitting upright.

"What are you doing?" 

"What does it look like?" Anakin pulled his pants down, and pushed Obi-Wan's tunic, up, so that his underwear and the white tops of his thighs were exposed in the darkness of the room. "I'm going to suck you off until you tell me how I stand to be in the same room with you and not fuck you--"

"Anakin," Obi-Wan gasped, his face flushed, his eyes bright with an emotion Anakin had never seen before. "Are you sure, are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes. Are you sure you want me to do this?" 

In response, Obi-Wan shimmied his underwear down around his thighs, so that his cock was freed, already rigid. Anakin eyed it appreciatively, and pressed his hand on Obi-Wan's stomach, pushing the man backwards onto the bed. On his knees in front of Obi-Wan, right where he was supposed to be, right where he had wanted to be for all of his life, Anakin put his mouth around Obi-Wan's hardening dick, running his tongue around the head of his cock, using his other hand to reach down the front of his pants and touch himself, stroking himself to the same rhythm that he sucked Obi-Wan too. As he went, he felt himself grow more and more desperate for relief, releasing his own cock from his pants, stroking himself off with his own pre-cum. Obi-Wan writhing and moaning underneath his fingers, his fingers dug into Anakin's hair. 

"Anakin," Obi-Wan groaned, breathy, his fingers wrapped in Anakin's long hair-- "Anakin, I'm going to--"

Anakin hummed agreeably around Obi-Wan's dick, and stroked himself harder, so that when Obi-Wan released into Anakin's mouth, Anakin came too, coating his hand like Obi-Wan had coated the back of his throat.

** *

Obi-Wan joined Anakin, Rex, and Cody for mess, still giddy with the feeling of Anakin's mouth and fingers around him. He felt like his head was stuffed with cotton and that his mouth was red and obvious, and that the movement of his underwear against his cock was going to get him hard again. The clones didn't seem to notice, though.

Obi-Wan didn't typically eat with his men-he took his meals alone in his quarters, and allowed Cody to present himself as the front-facing authority figure to the rest of the men. Not that Obi-Wan didn't like the men, but he couldn't bring himself to make more than a passing connection to them. He didn't want to feel their pain when they died; he knew their names, but couldn't bring himself to know more than that. Anakin didn't seem to have those same reservations.

He shared a sort of easy comradre with Rex that Obi-Wan could not begin to fathom. What sort of a mess would Anakin be when Rex died? Obi-Wan could not help but see Anakin's kindness towards the clones as a web of interconnected threads that tied him, inextricably, and perhaps unwisely, to his men.

"This food is gross as Hell. Oh, shit General-" Rex caught himself in front of Obi-Wan, "excuse my language."

"What, you think you can't say 'fuck' in front of Obi-Wan?" Anakin demanded. Anakin looked cool and unruffled, like he hadn't just been humming around Obi-Wan's dick, his knees on the cold metal floor. "I say it all the time."

"Well, it's uncommon for clones to cuss in front of their commanding Officers," Cody said. He had always been unsure of the dynamic between Anakin and Rex.

"I cuss in front of mine," Rex said. "Fuck you, General."

"Fuck you, Rex!" Anakin sounded delighted at the repartee. "This food is disgusting, though. The Senate is doing us dirty."

Obi-Wan agreed. The meal they had been served was vaccum-sealed and had been heated in large microwave, and the synthesized meat was gummy in his mouth. Obi-Wan spit it onto his utensil and placed it on the side of the meal tray. "That is distasteful." He dabbed at the corners of his mouth with a napkin, and both Anakin and Rex laughed.

Even in the harsh light of the cafeteria, Anakin was beautiful. His hair fell down to his shoulders, and his uniform tunic was stretched tightly, and flatteringly, across his chest, and he was still smiling, laughing despite the weight of the world that was baring down on his shoulders. Obi-Wan was overcome with the intense and overwhelming anger at himself, that he was not able to have given Anakin a straight answer, earlier. That he could not, and did not, promise Anakin that he would run away with him, and leave the Order behind.

What was stopping him? Obi-Wan looked again at Anakin. The war was pointless, everyone knew it. Anakin knew it better than most people. Obi-Wan looked from him, to Rex, and back again, and again he felt a pitiful surge of jealousy. Not romantic jealousy, but jealousy that Anakin had so much love for everyone- that he cared about Rex, about Padme, about Ahsoka-he loved so much, would he love Obi-Wan, at the end of it? Would he love Obi-Wan enough to leave all of that behind?

Obi-Wan looked down at the tray of rubbery food in front of him. He was afraid he already knew the answer to that already.

"Is everything alright, Master?" Anakin asked, bringing him back to the overcrowded cafeteria. "You haven't touched the food the Senate so thoughtfully provided."

Rex laughed and Cody shook his head, even though he too was wearing a slight smile. "He's right, General, don't turn your nose up at edible food."

"Ah." Obi-Wan pushed his tray away. "I think I'm full." Though, if he was being honest, it was their easy friendship, and his awkward position on the outside of it, that was turning his stomach.

Still, Anakin looked at him, concerned. "If you say so, then." He still didn't stop looking at Obi-Wan, though, in a way that was warm and gratifying.

What sure of bastard was he?, Obi-Wan thought, that he would feel so happy and warm knowing that he was upsetting Anakin? That his outburst was causing Anakin's eyes to rest on him, concerned and caring. This was a measure of selfishness that Obi-Wan didn't know he possessed, and it made him feel disgusting, all the way down to the pit of his stomach. "I think I'm going to excuse myself, and go lie down. The food's not sitting with me."

"Look after yourself, General," Rex cautioned kindly.

"Are you sure you don't need me to send a med droid to your quarters?" Cody asked, but Obi-Wan just shook his head. The sick feeling in the pit of his stomach wasn't helped by the glow of warmth he felt as Anakin's gaze followed him all the way down the hallway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all are having a good week, thank you for all your support <3


	6. Chapter 6

It hadn't escaped Anakin's notice that Obi-Wan was acting like a petulant child, but he wasn't sure what to do about it. Usually, being uncommunicative and sullen was Anakin's deal, and this reversal wasn't something that he knew how to handle. He watched Obi-Wan stoically leave the mess hall, and made his excuses to Cody and Rex, to follow after him.

He entered into Obi-Wan's quarters to find the man sitting cross-legged on the bed, breathing deeply, clearly trying to meditate. Trying to move as stealthily as possible, Anakin entered the room and knelt in front of Obi-Wan, and he put his hands on his knees.

Without opening his eyes, Obi-Wan dropped his shoulders. "I'm sorry," he said.

"About what? What's going on?"

"I am not a good Jedi, Anakin, especially when it comes to you. I'm not even sure that I'm a good man. I'm jealous of all the others you care about--you are the only exception to the Code that I make, but everyday, you love and are loved to an exceptional degree. And I need to learn how to handle that."

Anakin reached out and put his hand on the man's knee. "I'm sorry, Obi, I can't just leave them behind, if you wanted me to, I could figure out something, but it would have to wait until the war was all sorted out-"

"No, I can't-I can't ask you to do that." Obi-Wan put his hand over Anakin's own. "That would be the biggest cruelty I could ever do against you." The calluses of his fingertips were comforting over the back of Anakin's hand, and Anakin melted into his touch, pressing his forehead against Obi-Wan's knee.

Obi-Wan's eyes were watching him now. "You are too good for me."

Anakin laughed. "What do you mean? You are the best person I know. Everything I've ever done in my whole life was to become a good enough person so that you would notice me."

Obi-Wan shook his head and pressed his forehead against the top of Anakin's head. "That's ridiculous. You've been too good- always. Always. Who you are means that you have never had to become better."

Warmth radiated throughout Anakin's stomach, and heated the space between his ribs where his soul was nestled, and he knew that he would carry those words with him forever. He kissed Obi-Wan's knee through the fabric of his tunic.

In response, Obi-Wan groaned and tangled his fingers in Anakin's hair, giving it a sharp tug that was slightly painful, bringing tears to his eyes. "I sucked you off just an hour ago," Anakin said, his eyes smarting. "You already want more?"

Obi-Wan, his face still pressed into Anakin's hair, laughed. His voice was watery, and it seemed that he had been about to cry. "Of course," he said. "I'll always want more of you. But, you know, it doesn't always have to be like that."

Suddenly, Anakin felt shy. "What do you mean?"

Obi-Wan laughed, sitting up. "I know we can fuck without even being married, you told me that clearly enough this morning," he teased, "but I'll care for you just the same if we just lie here together." 

Anakin pressed his face into Obi-Wan's knee. "I don't know any other way to show you that I care about you, you know? And when you're under me, I can feel that you care about me too. It's--we don't have to fuck, you're right, but I like knowing that I'm in control of what you're thinking and what you're doing."

Anakin couldn't see Obi-Wan's face, but he felt his hands run through his hair in a gentle caress, knotting his fingers in Anakin's curls. "I understand that, I think. I want to touch you, always, but I don't want you just because you--pleasured me." 

"You mean, blew you?" Anakin looked up at Obi-Wan, and smiled mischievously. 

Obi-Wan turned red. "Come here." He pulled Anakin up so that they were both sitting on the bed, across from each other, face to face. "You are important to me. Always. No matter what we do to each other, or who we become to each other, I will adore you." He pulled Anakin forward into a kiss, and they tumbled onto the bed, the two of them tangling up on each other on the hard mattress of the regulation bed, their hands traveling over their bodies and tangling up each each other.

* * *

The 212th was sent back to Coruscant the next day, and Anakin watched the cruiser depart from the Mon Calamari system from the bridge. Obi-Wan had received orders to leave the 501st immediately, and Anakin shared his opinion that the orders weren't necessarily from the Council, but there wasn't a lot either could do about it. The Chancellor would continue to stick his fingers where he shouldn't until someone put a hard stop to it.

And, the more Anakin thought about the 501st's placement, the more it unsettled him. They had settled the civil war on Mon Calamari a few years ago, and as far as Anakin knew, the planet had been a staunch supporter of the Republic ever since. So then--why were the 501st here? They weren't running supplies down to the surface, and Anakin hadn't seen any ships coming in or out in all the time that they'd been there. It felt like they were holding a blockade, and that unsettled Anakin.

He went into the hanger and prepared a ship and a wet suit, pilling the tight latex of the suit up over his leg, the mutual snapping and pinching. "Rex," he said, as the captain came into the hangar, his arms crossed over his chest. "R2's going to drop me off at the surface. I shouldn't be too long."

"Why's that, then?"

"I have a bad feeling," Anakin answered, pulling his helmet over his head.

Rex nodded silently in agreement, his arms crossed his arms over his chest. "And what should I tell someone, if they call?"

Anakin shrugged. "Pretend I'm sick. I won't be gone too long."

R2 whirred in his position from Anakin's ship. "Alright, alright, I'm coming. I'll be back in a bit, I promise."

"Watch out for yourself," Rex said, and he saluted Anakin as he climbed into the cockpit. Anakin watched Rex as he pulled out of the hanger, the small figure dwindling as he dipped below the clouds of the atmosphere.

Although Anakin couldn't hear Rex's farewell, he understood Rex's uneasiness, as he manueverd between the cloud layer that surrounded Mon Calamari. "Pull the ship up over the water, R2, and keep it steady," he said, and R2 chirped from the front of the ship, pulling the spacecraft level with the surface of the crashing ocean planet.

Anakin manuevered out of the ship, and levered himself. over the wing of the plane, so that he could slide into the water. He double checked the seal of his helmet and slide over to the edge of the ship, so that his heels were hanging into the water. He counted down, closed his eyes, and let himself fall into the water. The cold of the saltwater washed over him, knocking the breath right out of his stomach.

The last time Anakin had been here had been with Ahsoka. The battle that they'd aided the Prince with had been terrible, but swimming through the city with Ahsoka had been an adventure. He missed that, missed adventures and exploring, and the time when everything had seemed light and new. Alone now, Anakin swam down into the Coral City, the capital that he remembered to be so lively. Now, though, he swam deeper into the city, coming up to the Capital building, Anakin saw no one. No Quarren, no Mon Calamari people. Anakin approached the main building, and the doors opened for him.

"Lee-char!" Anakin called. "Anyone?" The entrance hall was deserted, but golden light covered the entire room, making it sparkle. "Hello!"

It didn't look like anyone had died here, but Anakin was overcome with a deep sense of foreboding. What was this? Why was this city so empty. why were there no people here? Anakin placed his hand on his lightsaber, the senses deep in his gut telling him that something was drastically wrong.

"General?" Lee-Chor's hesitant voice rang throughout the entrance, and Anakin turned quickly to see the young man watching him cautiously from a doorframe. "Is there something wrong?"

"Oh, there you are!" Anakin bowed quickly, full of a sudden relief. "I've been worried, we haven't heard from you in all the time we've been her, and I was worried as I swam through the city, I didn't see anyone-"

"It's nice to note your concern for my people." Prince Lee-Char's voice was tight.

"Right--well. Are we- I know that this seems like a really dumb question, but is the Republic blockading Mon Calamari? When I got sent out here, it seemed like a protection detail, but, everything has felt really off, and no one is telling me anything."

Prince Lee-Char looked at him suspiciously. "They haven't told you anything?"

"Nothing at all. Listen, Prince, can I talk to you somewhere that isn't so... open?" Although the entrance hall seemed empty, Anakin couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched.

"What you have to say to me, you may say to me here." The prince spoke graciously, but his words had an undertone of hostility. Although Lee-Char wasn't noticeably holding a weapon, Anakin felt like he was on unfamiliar and dangerous territory. Violence wasn't the answer here--he couldn't charge at Lee-Char with his saber drawn. What would Obi-Wan do?

Anakin took his hands away from his belt, and held them up over his head, like he had seen Obi-Wan do dozens of times before. "Alright," he said. "Listen- I don't think that I'm here to protect you. I don't know why, but, I think that there have been orders to blockade your planet, and I'm just trying to figure out why."

The Prince considered him, slowly, and then nodded. "Please," he said, indicating behind him, "Join me in my chambers."

Anakin nodded, and moved slowly towards the Prince, trying to project a demeanor of calm. Of calm and non-violence, and everything that Obi-Wan was that Anakin wasn't. He followed Lee-char onto the platform where he was standing. The platform ascended, Anakin with his arms still over his head, Lee-Char exuding a nervous energy. The silence was, to say something that had already been said, deafening.

Anakin slowly exited the platform, arms still raised, and manuevered himself so he was standing with his front to the Prince. The price was unguarded, and Anakin couldn't see any of his weaponry immediately. Anakin didn't want to take any chances. The Prince, for his part, seemed to be equally wary of Anakin.

"Have a seat," Lee-Char said, gesturing. "If you truly do not come in malice."

Anakin sat down hesitantly, slowly lowering his arms. "So- " he really wasn't used to this diplomacy thing. He put his arms awkwardly on the arms of his chair. "So, did you do something to piss off the Senate?"

Lee Char nodded his head slightly. "You truly do not know? Our quarrel is not with the Senate, but the Chancellor himself. He requested that we quarter troops in Coral City, and station them at the entrances to the city-he claimed that this would improve security, but Mon Cala has been restful since we mended our differences with the Quarren- " Lee Char looked nervously over his shoulder, as though he was worried that someone was listening. What he was implying did, basically, amount to accusing the Chancellor of treason against the Senate. Anakin wished Obi-Wan was dealing with this, instead of him.

"The Chancellor basically ordered an occupation of your city, and when you refused, he ordered yon planet to be blockaded, but he's run none of these actions by the Senate, and instead, has covertly been using the Jedi knights to lead his military program. Fucking amazing." Anakin groaned and put his head in his hands. He really wished this was Obi-Wan's problem.

* * *

When he made it back to the surface, Anakin was shaking, maybe in anger, maybe because it felt like he was being used and manipulated. Usually, in this situation, he'd call Padme, and she would tell him the most diplomatic thing to do, or he'd ask Snips, and she wold have a dear and uncluttered view of his next steps. Obi-Wan had just left him, though, and Anakin felt desperate calling him before the man had even reached Coruscant. And Anakin didn't even know if he could speak freely on the ship, or over the holo-comm. He felt stranded, and like every step he took brought him tighter and tighter into the Chancellor's grasp.

He stripped off his wetsuit as he went through the hallways to the bridge, dropping pieces of equipment behind him. "Rex!" he called, "Rex, where are you?" By the time he made it to the bridge, his wetsuit was hanging around his waist, his chest was bare, and his wet hair was hanging around his shoulders in curls.

Rex looked up. "Everything went okay? Did you kill any of the fish people?"

Anakin shook his head. "No, something even worse. No one dead, though, at least not yet. Plot a course for Coruscant? I need an actual adult to handle this."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this one took so long to upload, I hope you all are well!


	7. Chapter 7

Obi-Wan had just reached the Temple when he received a message from Master Windu, requesting his presence in the Council chambers. Was this about Anakin? Did Windu know the way Anakin had knelt at Obi-Wan's knees and put him in his mouth, while Obi-Wan directed him at his hair? Were all of Obi-Wan's thoughts echoing through the Force in the same way that they were echoing around his brain? If that was true, Obi-Wan was done for.

Obi-Wan shook his head and cleared his throat, readjusting the front of his robes as he rode the lift to the top floor of the Temple. This was probably about him diverting the 212th to Mon Cala, instead of charting a course directly to Coruscant, which was easily explained. He just had to keep the dirty thoughts out of his head. The door to the Council chambers slid open in front of him, and Obi-Wan realized that he had reached the top of the Temple. He stepped into the Council chambers, and realized that a hologram of Anakin stood in the middle of the room.

Anakin, in the hologram, was three feet taller than usual, and halfway undressed. He looked soaked through, even though only his legs were covered in a wetsuit, and his hair was wet and limp. The man was clearly agitated, and he was fiddling with his prosthetic limb as he spoke. He didn't turn his head as Obi-Wan entered the room and found his way to his chair.

"Listen," he was saying, "I'm not sure what I can say over the comm, but-"

"Why not?" Windu cut Anakin off sharply. "Who do you think is listening?"

"Well, see Master, thats the problem-you should've seen the Prince, he was convinced that the Senate-" Anakin put an uncomfortable amount of stress on the last word, "was listening. You know, the SENATE." Anakin had never been good at subtle communication. Obi-Wan smiled fondly.

"See, do I," Yoda said, nodding once. "What did believe the Prince, that caused the Senate's eyes to fall upon him?"

"Well, uh, there was a request to position troops in Coral City, which Lee Char denied? And then I was sent to, um, hang out here with the entire 501st." Anakin looked helplessly at someone who was just out of frame. "And I really don't know what to do. I did what I thought Ob- Master Kenobi would do, and I know he would tell the Council what's happening as soon as possible, but-" Silly warmth grew in Obi-Wan's chest, to hear his name on Anakin's lips.

"Right you were, Knight Skywalker," Yoda nodded. "Requires consideration, this does."

Even only looking at Anakin's back, Obi-Wan could tell the young man was relieved. "Skywalker," he said, and Anakin's holographic face turned to him, eyes wide and surprised. "That's exactly what I would have done."

Anakin bowed slightly, and Obi-Wan had to forces his gaze from Anakin's shoulders, to not focus on Anakin's suddenly deeper voice. "Thank you, Master."

"Of course. I think that-" Obi-Wan had to think of something to think- "That you should leave Mon Cala and return to Coruscant, while the Council reevaluates our entanglements with the Senate." He put a gentle emphasis on his final word, as Anakin had done.

"Agree, do I, hmm? Return to Coruscant immediately you should. Make sure there are no soldiers on Mon Cala, we will. Occupy a Republic System, the Jedi will not." Yoda nodded, his hands folded over the knotted wood of his care. The Jedi Master cut Mace's protest off, inclining his head to Anakin, who bowed back, obviously relieved.

"Right away, Master. Rex will set the hyperdrive course right now." Anakin blinked out, and silence fell on the Council room.

"Hmm. Worried about this for some time, have we," Yoda said, and Obi-Wan could tell that the Master was concerned.

"If anything, I'm surprised Skywalker came to us first, instead of going directly to the... Senate." Windu's glanced over at Obi-Wan.

"I know I defend him often, but I believe he has felt increasingly uncomfortable with the Senate's involvement, of late," Obi-Wan said, trying to keep his voice droll. "It seems to me that he's been taking every opportunity to stay as far away from Coruscant and the Senate as possible."

"Perhaps this is so. Perhaps not. Tell us in his own words, young Skywalker will, when he arrives. Until then, we cannot know, hmm?"

Even Windu grudgingly assented, and the Council adjourned. Obi-Wan made his way down to his quarters, his brow furrowed, so he wouldn't get caught up in conversations with his fellow Masters. Anakin would be home soon, and everything inside Obi-Wan would feel whole again.

* * *

Obi-Wan stood up, trying not to let his clothes rustle too much as he left the Tranquility Garden. The skimpy trees that managed to grow in the polluted Coruscant atmosphere offered little shade, and the cement garden provided uncomfortable seating in the best of circumstances. Now, though, Obi-Wan felt turmoil rolling through the force. It felt like the galaxy was unraveling from two directions, but Obi-Wan didn't know where to begin to sort through it all. Meditation wasn't calming him-today, and he felt like he was making the cohort of meditating Padawans anxious. He retreated to his quarters, trying to untangles the threads of his unruly thoughts.

It had been two standard rotations since Anakin had called the Council and reported his findings from Mon Cala, and Obi-Wan had never been more proud. Anakin had uncovered a political scheme and hadn't immediately moved to battle--not only proving his maturity, but providing him some credibility in the eyes of the Council. In a strang way, it made Obi-Wan look at Anakin differently too.

And, the fact that Anakin had done all of that because he was emulating Obi-Wan, and trying to make him proud? It made him feel same sort of way; mostly though, it made Obi-Wan really confused. Was he really just some creepy old man, preying on his fame student? All of this-his attraction towards Anakin and the desire he felt-was against the Jedi teaching, but it also felt like his desires were immoral. Obi-Wan couldn't tell if he was a pervert, for the way he kept thinking about Anakin's wet hair curled over his shoulders.

Tired, he rubbed his eyes and pressed the button to enter his quarters, ready to close his eyes and attempt sleep.

"Master-did you not even see me?"

Obi-Wan stopped at the foot of his bed, and noticed, for the first time, Anakin stretched at in his bed, shirtless and smiling, his hands laced behind his head. He looked beautiful, like some sort of god had decided to inhabit Obi-Wan's bed. "Oh, shit-- "he said, his voice choked, his face flushing suddenly. "What are you doing here?"

Anakin's face fell and he crossed his arms over his chest, turning to get off the bed. "Shit, I'm so sorry, shit, I'm sorry, I thought-" It looked like he was about to cry.

Obi-Wan moved in front of him, and held out his hand to stop Anakin from rushing out of the room. "No, wait, I didn't mean it like that. Ani, honey, I'm-I'm so happy to see you, and proud that you reached out to the Council, but -"

Anakin looked so hurt and confused, red flushing across his cheeks. "What?"

"Anakin, I'm a greasy old man."

"What? You can, you can take a shower, I just knew that you were looking at my shoulders in the Council room, so I thought you would, I don't know, kiss me, and-"

Obi-Wan laughed, aware of how his hand was pressed against Anakin's bare chest. "No, I'm an old pervert, Ani. No, listen to me, you are the most beautiful, breathtaking man, and sometimes I realize that you are still the young boy I trained, and if you feel like I am using my position over you in any sort of way-Ani, I would never be able to forgive myself. And-did you stop by the Council chambers? You can't just come by and take your shirt off for my-uh-enjoyment-- "

"Oh, I got put on probation or something," Anakin shrugged. "I promise I don't think of you as my Master anymore, I just stay that stuff because I have to, and because I thought you think it would be hot. I haven't thought about you as an authority figure since I was at least thirteen-"

"Alright, no need to point that out," Obi-Wan ran his hand through his hair, "but you're on probation?"

"I just want you to think of me as an adult, so that you'll let me sneak away to meet with you and do fun stuff, like make out in closets-"

"Ani, you're on probation? But you did everything the Senate told you to do, and more--"

Anakin shrugged. "Not super important, but yeah. Are you mad at me?"

Obi-Wan took his free hand and put it against Anakin's cheek. "I've never been mad at you. I'm just mad at me, for not being good enough for you. Do you want me to talk to someone about getting you off probation? You've done nothing wrong, you don't deserve to be punished."

Anakin pulled away from Obi-Wan and groaned, flopping down on the narrow bed. "No. I don't care. The 501st won't be sent out to the field until I'm reinstated, Mace said it was a precaution against... the Senate, so he can't legally tell me where to go anymore." Anakin shrugged, lying back down. "I think it's a good idea."

"Oh, alright." Obi-Wan sat down on the mattress next to Anakin, far enough away that he wasn't touching Anakin. "I'm glad you aren't actually in trouble."

"Yeah, me too, that would've been a pain in my ass. I hate it when the Council gets mad at me." Anakin reached out and played with the fringes of Obi-Wan's hair, his knuckles brushing the nape of Obi-Wan's neck, sending shivers down Obi-Wan's back. "But now I get a lot of time off, and I don't have to piss off to the Chancellor's office every other day."

Obi-Wan smiled, even though Anakin couldn't see it. The brush of his fingers was soothing. "That sounds like a good deal for me."

Anakin pulled on the back of his robe, an insistent tug. "Are you sure you're okay? I just want you to be-not mad at me. And I don't think you're a greasy old man who groomed me. I think that you're someone who is like me, that you've been trapped, and that I'm your way out in the same way that you're mine."

"Maybe. I don't think I should be your answer, though. I don't think I should be anyone's answer."

"I know." Anakin tugged harder on the back of his tunic. "I'm not anyone's answer either. But, you can pay attention to me, at least."

Obi-Wan turned around so that he was looking at Anakin, the man shirtless and tousled in his bed. "I don't know if it's right. That I encourage you to break so many rules. Think of the man you could be without me around-"

Anakin laughed. "Think of who I would be if you weren't. Come on Obi, it's going to be okay. Or, maybe it won't be. Either way, I don't want to waste time." He pulled again on the back of Obi-Wan's robe, hard enough to stretch it out.

Obi-Wan let himself be pulled back onto the bed. He leaned against the toned, bare skin of Anakin's chest, and tried not to smell how clean and smooth his skin was. "Waste time how?" he managed to say, his voice thin and strangled.

"By worrying if breaking rules is wrong or right. It isn't probably, but -" Anakin reached his arm around so he was cradling Obi-Wan's shoulders, "Hell, we're gonna die anyways."

Obi-Wan couldn't bring himself to laugh at that. Instead, he sat up, and put his hand on Anakin's chest, the warmth of the other man radiating through his arm and body. "Maybe so," he agreed. "But let's not waste time thinking about that either." He leaned forward and plated his lips on Anakin's sharp jaw.

The younger man squirmed, and Obi-Wan put a hand on his chest holding him down. Anakin laughed, breathless, and pushed back on Obi-Wan's forehead, so that the older man was forced to look at him. "You are so confusing, you know?"

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to be."

Instead of answering, Anakin pulled Obi-Wan's face into his, his hand underneath Obi-Wan's chin, pulling the man against his chest. Obi-Wan gasped, and braced himself, putting his hands on either side of Anakin's head, so he was hovering over the younger man. Anakin, for his part, was kissing Obi-Wan like he was drinking-not entirely inexperienced, but with an exuberance that send warmth and arousal down Obi-Wan's stomach. Anakin's lips covered Obi-Wan's, and his nose, and his cheeks, his leg intertwining with Obi-Wan's own, pulling him even closer.

He pilled at Obi-Wan's clothes, his fingers knotted in the course material of Obi-Wan's robes. Obi-Wan had moved so he was lying across Anakin, his hands pressed into the mattress, feeling Anakin growing hard against his leg. He pulled back, gasping, to see Anakin underneath him, flushed, eyes shining.

"Sorry" Anakin said, though his apology was sheepish and unapologetic. "I just wanted to." He hadn't let go of Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan didn't pull away from Anakin, and instead looked at the younger man lying underneath him. His dark hair was spread out in a halo around him, and his blue eyes watched Obi-Wan closely. "You're a terrible Jedi, Anakin." Obi-Wan said, and he bent forward, giving Anakin a gentle kiss on the head. "I think I might be too. And I couldn't be happier."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to say two things both of which. are sort of dumb. 1) the keyboard on my laptop is broke so I'm writing on an ipad that doesn't have spell check so I'm sorry that everything is spelled so shit and 2) I don't necessarily think that obi-wan and Anakin's relationship is a good time, and I hope that you all have partners who care about you and aren't dicks to you, if that is what you want! xoxo


	8. Chapter 8

Anakin felt like he was flying, his stomach doing loops, his head light, the space where his head should be empty and spacious. He held onto Obi-Wan's arms, holding on as tight as he could, because if he didn't, he would float off the bed and get stuck to the ceiling. Obi-Wan's lips were so soft, but, his mustache-it drew Anakin out of the moment, and he laughed, pushing the older man off of him. "Your mustache keeps going up my nose."

"What?" Obi-Wan blinked at him, his eyes dazed. "Oh, I'm sorry, should I shave it?"

"No." Anakin reached up and tucked Obi-Wan's growing hair behind his ear. "It looks handsome on you. It's just making me want to sneeze a little." He tangled his fingers through Obi-Wan's hair. It was reddish, with gray flecks already sprinkled throughout, especially around his temple. Anakin frowned and studied Obi-Wan's face.

"What?" Obi-Wan pulled away. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No? What do you mean? Come back, I'm using you as a blanket." Anakin tugged on the back of Obi-Wan's neck, so the man was forced to lay back down. "It's cold here."

"You're staring," Obi-Wan said, and he didn't relax entirely into Anakin. "You're staring at me like something's wrong, like I did something." He reached up and rubbed his mustache. "I could shave it off, I really don't mind."

Anakin laughed. "I just like looking at you. And I worry about you, you know?" He leaned forward and kissed Obi-Wan again, and the two of them fell into each other. Obi-Wan's hands traveled down Anakin's chest and stomach, sending shivers downAnakin's back. Obi-Wan settled closer between Anakin's legs, the two wrapped up in each other. Anakin let his fingers crawl down Obi-Wan's back, to grab onto his belt.

Eventually, Obi-Wan pulled back. "What are we doing here?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like -- "Obi-Wan looked from Anakin to himself, raised up slightly on his hands. "How far? Do you want me to ... return the favor?"

"Oh." Anakin blushed. The thought of Obi-Wan blowing him was something that he'd run through in his mind at least once an hour, for the whole past week, at the very least, but having the option in front of him now was sort of overwhelming. What if Anakin wasn't good enough? What if Obi-Wan looked at Anakin's naked body and realized that he actually wasn't hot shit after all? "I don't know, I'm not normally on the receiving end--"

"If you're uncomfortable, and unsure, that doesn't bother me, I promise." Obi-Wan squeezed his hand. "I want every time I touch you to be comfortable and warm and preferably somewhere where the Council won't accidentally walk in on us. And, to be frank, I don't want to know what "normally" is like for you."

Anakin laughed. "Believe me, it's nothing spectacular. Well, no, not my dick, that's like, normal sized-" He felt his face catching on fire, and Obi-Wan laughed, covering his face with Anakin's hand.

"That's not- thats not- not what I was saying, Anakin, and you know it."

"I mean, I know you had a fling with Satine-"

"Anakin!"

"What!"

Obi-Wan rolled on his side and put a hand on Anakin's chest, and looked Anakin in the eye. "When I was young, yes, and if you want to know man about my past relationship, I will always be open with you. But Anakin- that's not what's important to me. The past, I mean. I just. I get a little jealous, because your past is still so close to you. You broke up with Padme less than a month ago, and I've got to tell you-- I'm a little possessive of you."

Anakin laughed and pulled Obi-Wan's face close to his, so that their foreheads were touching. "I know. I just. You feel different than her. In a good way. I mean. I want to spend all my time with you, and when you smile at me, it feels like I did something amazing. And usually, with her, I was the one in charge, there isn't a lot of a reciprocity. I don't know. It's nice, it's better with you."

"Hmm." Obi-Wan, still smiling, tucked his face into Anakin's shoulder. "Let's not talk about her anymore."

"Okay." Anakin moved to pm Obi-Wan's chin towards him, but he turned away. "I'm sorry, did I do anything?"

"No, Ani, of course not. I'm just-" Obi-Wan shifted uncomfortably, slightly readjusting his robes, and Anakin laughed.

"Come here," Anakin said, pulling Obi-Wan closer to him, wrapping his leg around Obi-Wan's leg, putting his foot right in Obi-Wan's back. Obi-Wan groaned as Anakin pulled him closer, grinding against him, licking at Obi-Wan's neck and biting at his ear. 

"You're going to kill me," Obi-Wan groaned, and Anakin bucked into him, "and I think I'm going to deserve it." 

Anakin laughed and sucked on the soft skin of Obi-Wan's shoulder, biting down to leave a mark. "Stop being dramatic, old man. If you think this is the worst I can do to you, just wait until I get you into bed somewhere out of the Temple."

* * *

Anakin woke the next morning with his legs dangling over the side of his bed, Obi-Wan nestled against his chest. He smiled, and ran his hand through Obi-Wan's reddish hair. The graying hair flecked throughout worried him, even though there wasn't a lot. It was a sign that Obi-Wan was getting older, though, and that one day, maybe Anakin wouldn't be able to protect him. And, now that he wouldn't be out in the field anymore, he would be able to protect him even less-

His probation way just temporary, though, just until Mace figured out the situation with the Chancellor. The only reason why Anakin would want to be off probation would be to protect Rex and Obi-Wan. If this war would end, and Anakin could step down from the Order, and take Obi-Wan with him, there would be nothing that could go wrong in his life.

Obi-Wan stirred sleepily on Anakin's chest, breaking him out of his thoughts. "What time is it?" He murmured against Anakin's chest.

"Who the hell knows?"Anakin didn't own a clock or a timepiece. "The sun's up, though."

"Shit." Obi-Wan sat up, his hair sticking up at all sorts of angles. "Shit, has anyone come looking for me?"

"If anyone had come looking for you, we would both be out of the Temple on our ass." Anakin reached out and ran his hand through Obi-Wan's hair, pushing down some of the more wild pieces. ''You're handsome when you're sleepy."

Obi-Wan, his hands braced against Anakin's stomach, looked down at him, surprised. "How long have you been awake? Have you just been watching me sleep?"

Anakin shrugged. "You were lying on me. You're heavy."

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes and bent down, giving Anakin a kiss on the cheek. "Now, I'm going to get my morning breath-"

"Oh, fuck no!" Anakin wriggled out from under Obi-Wan as he covered his face in kisses, the two of them wrestling together on top of the sheets. "Get off of me, you fucker!"

Obi-Wan laughed as he fell to the floor, his clothes crumpled, his hair all on end. "You absolute demon," he smiled up at Anakin radiant. "I think I need to freshen up, though."

"People are going to wonder why I spent the night in your dorm, and left looking like you kicked my ass," Anakin agreed, reaching out to touch him on the shoulder. He took Obi-Wan's hand and brought it to his mouth, kissing his callused Knuckles, and all across the back of his hand. "Maybe, if they realize what we've been doing in here, they'll even banish us to the Outer Rim together and never bother to talk to us again."

Obi-Wan stood up and kissed Anakin on the cheek and again on the forehead. "We can dream," he said, his voice low. He left Anakin on the bed, feeling warm and fuzzy, and went into the bathroom.

Anakin stretched, still feeling Obi-Wan's lips in his face, still feeling the warmth Obi-Wan's head against his chest. He felt warm and safe down to his toes, in a way that he hadn't ever felt before. He closed his eyes and listened to the water turn on in the 'fresher, and Obi-Wan moving around in the bathroom, his eyes closing as the weak Coruscant sun played our his face. He almost didn't hear his comm going off on his dresser.

He reached for the device, his eyes still closed, and held it up to his mouth. "What's wrong, Rex?"

"Anakin?" Her voice was familiar, and Anakin hadn't heard it in so long.

Anakin's eyes opened dead fast, and his heart leaped into his chest. "Ahsoka? Are you okay?"

"Anakin-come to Mandalore immediately, I've found Maul. Come at once-" Her voice faded in and out, covered by static, but every one of her words squeezed Anakin's heart.

"I'll be right there, hold off until we reach you-" Anakin said, sitting up, rummaging under his bed for the rest of his clothes. She was gone, though, the signal lost. Anakin crammed his tunic on over his head and pulled his belt out from underneath his dresser. "Rex, do you copy?" he asked, trying to get dressed and yell into the comm at the same time.

"General, are you there?"

"Rex, I know we've just been put on leave, but get the men ready to head out to Mandalore-"

"Anakin--General--aren't you on probation?"

"We're going solo on this one, Rex, Ahsoka just called, she needs us ASAP."

Rex whooped. He missed Ahsoka as much as Anakin had, if not more. "Loud and clear, sir, we'll be ready to leave when you get here."

Anakin clipped his saber onto his belt and banged on the door of the 'fresher. "Obi-Wan, I need to leave! Something's come up! Don't tell anyone I left! I'll talk to Cody, okay?"

"Anakin, what-" but Anakin was already out of the door, pulling his boots on as he ran down the hallway of the Temple, stopping in his room only momentarily to grab the polished wooden box he'd been saving for this moment. Ahsoka needed him, and he wouldn't let her down. Not this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> imsorrythatthisisfillermyspacekeyiscompletelybroken


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry4thetyposmyspacekeyisstillbroken  
> ihopeyouallarewellandsafe

Anakin used past clearances to bypass the Republic hyperspace restrictions into the Mandalorian system. Ahsoka and Bo-Katan met the 501st just outside the planetary system, and Anakin awaited his former Padawan in the hangar, trying to keep himself from rushing to Ahsoka and gathering her up in a hug, to ask her how she was.

"Master," she said, as she approached him, bowing slightly. Ahsoka looked older than he remembered, more grown-up. She held herself more confidently, and walked with a grace Anakin had never possessed. Kryze, for her part, looked unimpressed at Anakin's arrival.

"Oh, no, l'm on probation," he said, scratching the back of his head. "This isn't a, uh, Republic sanctioned operation."

"What?" Ahsoka's eyes grew even wider.

"No, no, not because of you, I didn't tell anyone I was coming here, oh shit, I was supposed to--" He'd been in such a hurry to get out of Coruscant that he had forgotten his promise to Obi-Wan. Thankfully, almost no one had gotten the memo that Anakin was on probation yet, so it had been fairly simple to get his cruiser and clear the 501st for departure, but he had moved as fast as he could the entire time, just in case a hanger manager or Admiral Tarkin had realized orders weren't matching up, or that Anakin wasn't using the proper clearances.

They had left Coruscant just in time, too. As they had pulled away from the atmosphere, Anakin had began to recieve distress calls from multiple systems, and transmissions from various Jedi and legions sent out to help. It seemed that something big was happening across the Galaxy, and Ahsoka's distress call was only a small part of the chaos.

"Anakin-" Ahsoka leaned forward, and placed a hand on his arm, her face furrowed in concern. "Is everything okay?"

"Oh, yeah"-Anakin shrugged. "Just political stuff. And -" he looked at Kryze, who was absolutely nonplussed, "- I might be leaving the Order soon. It's just. Not the place for me anymore, if it ever was. But while I still can. I want to help you, so-- "

Ahsoka moved forward and gave him a quick hug, her chin brushing against Anakin's shoulder, before letting him go. "I'm glad for you," she said, her voice quiet. "The Order was never a place that cared for you, the way you cared for it." She grasped both of his shoulders and looked him dead in the eyes. "And thank you for risking so much to answer my call."

"Of course. No matter what happens, I'll do whatever I can to support you. That's what I promised when you were just a kid, right? And nothing has changed since then. And Rex and the men have missed you so much."

Ahsoka stepped back and dabbed underneath her eyes with her sleeve. "I can't wait to see them. But, Anakin, this won't be some fun mission, Darth Maul has taken over Mandalore."

Bo-Katan stepped forward then, her helmet tucked underneath her arm. "He's taken half of the Deathwatch to serve under him. The half of us that are left are no longer strong enough to fight him. The whole city is under seige, and citizens are starving. We were hoping that the Republic would send a fleet-"

Anakin shook his head. "I'm sorry, we're the best you're going to get right now. As a neutral system, the Republic would be loathe to help Mandalore even at the best of times, but fighting has broken out across the Galaxy. Every legion that isn't the 501st is engaged elsewhere. Even the-"

"Even the what?" Kryze demanded.

"The 212th. Shit. Should've called Cody. I keep forgetting. Maybe I can still reach him. Ahsoka, Bo-Katan, come up to the bridge and debrief Rex while I try to raise Obi on the comms, he's gonna have my ass about this either way, but I'd like to try to prevent some damage."

Ahsoka laughed, and the two women followed Anakin up to the bridge where Rex was waiting with a smile on his face. Rex wrapped the former Padawan up in a hug that she hadn't been expecting. The whole 501st had done their helmets to look like Ahsoka's forehead, and she teared up as she saw all the men.

Maybe, after Anakin went rogue, Ahsoka could join him and Obi-Wan in cruising the Galaxy, and solving the problems of normal people, like some sort of vigilante crew. He'd forgotten how much her energy changed the atmosphere of a room.

Anakin put in a transmission through to the 212th, and a very annoyed Obi-Wan picked up. "I've been trying to reach you all morning. do you know what's happening?" Obi-Wan's image faded in an out, the hologram flickering. "I thought you might be dead!"

"Why would I be dead? Listen, no, I know things have gone to shit-"

"-I'm headed out to track down Grevious and but when I came out of the bathroom, you're gone? Your ship is gone, your men are gone-"

"Are you even listening to me?"

"You're on PROBATION Anakin!"

Ahsoka laughed, suddenly behind Anakin's shoulder. "It's nice to see that some things have never changed." She leaned casually on Anakin, one wrist on his shoulder, as the two of them watched Obi-Wan's hologram flicker apoplectically. 

Seeing Ahsoka, though, Obi-Wan's demeanor brightened suddenly. "Ahsoka! Are you okay? What's wrong? Did something bad happen, are you hurt?"

Ahsoka laughed. "You went from happy to see me to Mother Hen faster than I've seen before." Ahsoka looked at Anakin, and he nodded for her to continue, that she could trust Obi-Wan. "I've located Maul, and Anakin is going to help me capture him while Rex and the rest of the men back up Deathwatch, and protect citizens. Bo-Katan and I have got a solid plan together-"

"Good. Ahsoka, I'm glad to hear it, l've got to go Cody says we're making our approach soon, watch out for yourself, Maul is more deadly than you know- Anakin, don't do anything that I wouldn't do, please--" his image faded completely, leaving Anakin and Ahsoka staring at an empty holotable.

"Well, Snips, it looks like its just you and me. Just like the good old days." He smiled at Ahsoka, and tried to cover up the anxiety that was welling up in the back of his throat. 

Ahsoka smiled up at him, familiar and different all at the same time. "Come on Skyguy, don't get all sentimental on me yet. Nothing's over yet."

* * *

Bo-Katan took the 501st to the streets of Mandalore, Deathwatch flanking them as she ordered them towards the Parlimentary building. Anakin hadn't been on this planet since before Satine had died, and he half-expected to see her walking down the grand steps of the crystalline building, begging them to all just put down their guns. He wouldn't've agreed with her, but it seemed unfair, to some extent, that he was here while she wasn't.

He wouldn't die here, though, not to Maul. It would be too cruel for Obi-Wan to lose two people he loved in the same way. He shook his head, trying to shake off the maudlin thoughts. "Ready on your signal, Snips."

Ahsoka was watching the scene below them with attentive eyes, but Anakin could almost hear her eye roll. "I'm not a kid anymore, you know."

"I know. I've missed you, though. Everything is boring without you around."

"Is it?" She looked over her shoulder, grinning. "And how's Padme?"

"Oh." Anakin scratched the back of his neck. "We're not she's stopped- we're no longer on speaking terms."

"Oh crap, I'm sorry Ani-"

"No, it's okay. I, uh, nearly strangled Clovis in front of her, so that wasn't super great, and she told me that my 'attitude' wasn't 'attractive' . I don't know how much you know about our relationship-"

"Believe me, I knew."

Anakin flushed. "Alright, fuck off. Well. Yeah. So." If he could've died of embarrassment, he would've right then. His face was so red, it felt like his cheeks were on fire. 

"There's something you're not telling me."Ahsoka was enjoying how uncomfortable he was, and her smile was the widest Anakin had seen in a long time.

He really didn't want to tell her that he wanted to fuck Obi-Wan. What if it ruined their relationship forever, what if Ahsoka wouldn't come visit him after he left the Order? The truth stuck on the tip of his tongue, so he went for a half-truth, maybe one that wouldn't give him away completely. "Well, I've sort of realized that I don't necessarily like women, I don't think they're very attractive--"

"Oh." She looked over at him. "That revelation must not have flown very well with the Council." 

"Well, you see, they don't necessarily know about it--"

"Hold that thought, Skyguy. Go for it, Kryze." She held the comm up to her ear. "Copy that. We'll head down there right away." She stood up, and subconsciously touched the empty space on her belt when ur lights users would have hung. "He's in the sewers, let's get going."

Anakin stood up, relieved that he could stop talking. "Before we go," he dug in his satchel and pulled out the box he'd brought with him from Coruscant. "Lead the way, Commander."

She took the box, clearly anxious to get moving, but her face shifted as she saw the sabers Anakin had refurbished for her. "They're beautiful," she said, holding the sabers up so they caught the gray Mandalorian light. "Thank you."

"Yeah. Of course." Anakin smiled, and again, he could not believe how much she had grown. "come on, let's get moving, Maul shouldn't be let off the hook again."

Ahsoka nodded and clipped the sabers onto her belt, hopping nimbly off the roof. Anakin followed close on her heels, and the two of them traveled from the rooftops to the sewers.

* * *

Ahsoka didn't need Anakin's help with Maul. The Sith Lord was cocky, but Ahsoka was able to match him blow for blow, her face twisted into a grimace of determination. Anakin kept the Sith Lord off balance as much as he was able, trying to make openings for Ahsoka to take advantage of.

"I thought Kenobi would come," Maul roared, as Ahsoka sent him back against the wall of the sewer, "I wanted KENOBI."

"Kenobi has better places to be." Ahsoka was bent in half, her lightsabers extending behind her. "He's found more worthy opponents."

Maul grimaced, his pointed teeth skating over his bottom lip. "There will never be a more worthy opponent than me. No one has taken more from Kenobi than me-and I will take you too, the both of you, and then Kenobi will come to me wailing, and I will take him too-"

Anakin stepped forward and slashed at Maul, forcing him to throw up a defense. Ahsoka followed suit, and the two pressed Maul back against the wall. He was going to run, Anakin could feel it, but when would he run to? To his ship, or to the Mandalorain throne room? What was more important to Maul now, his life, or control of the planet?

Maul squirmed away from Ahsoka and she screamed in frustration." We have to get him, bring him back to the Temple, I'll cut him off!" She ran down the sewer tunnel, leaving Anakin standing alone.

"Shit." Throne room, a ship? "Rex, give me a heading on Maul."

"Did you lose him?" Rex's voice was staticky and punctuated by blaster fire.

"Negative. Ahsoka's hot on his tail. I just need to get where he's going first." Anakin pulled himself up the ladder, into the fresh air. He took a deep breath and tried to reach out, feeling the pulse of the city in his mind. He could feel the panic of the clones on the main street, feel as death walked among them-he couldn't look there. He sent his thoughts down into the ground, following the trail of light that blazed after the muddied darkness of Maul. Headed to the hangar.

"Belay that order, Rex, and keep an eye on you flank, don't over expose yourself." Shaking his head, clearing the traces of the inner world out of the corners of his eye, Anakin ran through the alley ways and pulled him self onto the rooftops as he rushed to the hanger. Even still, he could feel Ahsoka struggling to keep up with Maul. Anakin had no doubt that Maul world attempt to kill her in the hangar. Ahsoka could take Maul on her own, but Anakin didn't want to take any chances with her life.

He hit the roof of the hangar running and made his way down the fire escape and into the large open space of the main building, cargo boxes piled up against the wall. Maul's ship was at the other end of the building, and the Sith Lord made his way to it at a fill out sprint, Ahsoka close at his heels.

Maul turned and slashed at her, and Ahsoka parried back. Even from this distance, Anakin could see the strain in her face and the desperation in her eyes, as she attempted to get in between Maul and his ship. Keeping to the shadows, Anakin skulked across the hangar.

"Join me," Maul was saying, "We don't need to fight! Look, your Master has abandoned you to fight me alone, he knows you won't succeed-"

Ahsoka flipped neatly over Maul's head and landed between him and his ship. Maul twirled neatly to face her, his robes flaring out quickly around his knees. Anakin took advantage of their acrobatics to move in behind Maul, still keeping close to the wall.

"That shows what you know," Ahsoka said, and her voice was full of false bravado. She sounded more like a child than Anakin had heard in a while. "He trusts me. He knows I can take you, that I don't need his help to defeat you."

"You don't need him?" Maul's tone was arch. "You can take me all in your own, can't you, but I can see the desperation in your eyes. He did leave you alone, but if you don't need him, let's go to him, face him together, tell him that he left you when the Council falsely accused you; he left you when you called him to Mandalore and begged him to help you-"

"Anakin would never leave me," Ahsoka said, her lightsabers in her fist. She looked over Maul's shoulder and made eye contact with Anakin, her eyes widening slightly as she caught his shadow in the corner of his eyes.

Maul turned to look, but Anakin was faster. His lightsaber was through Maul's chest before the Sith had even registered that Anakin was there. With a gasp, the man fell to his knees in front of Ahsoka and died, in a sudden collapse, Anakin's lightsaber still humming through his heart.

"Sorry." Anakin said. "I know you wanted to bring him to justice. To Coruscant. But-"

Ahsoka looked at Maul's body, then back up to Anakin. "What's done is done," she said. "At least -at least he won't be hunting Obi-Wan anymore."

"My thoughts exactly." Anakin said grimly. He retracted his lightsaber and pushed at Maul's body with the tip of his boot. "Should we bring him back to Coruscant, or?"

"I guess so." Ahsoka winced. "You can be in charge of that, though."


	10. Chapter 10

Out on the streets, the capital of Mandalore had turned into a bloody wasteland. Bo-Katan's Deathwatch group were holding their own in their Beskar armor, but the Clones were having a rougher time of it. Anakin had expected Maul's forces to dissipate as soon as he was dead, but it seemed that the fight had become less of an incursion and more of a Civil War. He hadn't signed his men up to fight a fight like this, but they had followed him willingly anyway.

He looked for Rex and found him among a group of his men crouching down on one of the walkways. "Maul is down," Anakin said, ducking down behind the boxes. "I told Ahsoka to go find Kryze, because this isn't our fight anymore."

"Doesn't mean we can't lend a hand, though," Rex said, angling himself so that he had a better angle on some of the Deathwatch separatists who were flying above them. "If Mandalore falls, and we die here, this will all have been for nothing-"

"We're sustaining heavy losses," Vaughn insisted from the other side of Rex. "I'm not about to lose all my brothers just to fight Kryze's battle."

"It'll be difficult to even get out of here." Anakin twisted from when he was sitting, so he had a better angle to view the government building. "Though, the troops seem to be thinning, they're either gathering in the sewers or fleeing. Hopefully Kryze will be able to rout them out soon enough."

"You have a transmission, General," Rex said, arranging some boxes so he would have some balance to better his aim. "Something from Coruscant, I assume its the 212th-"

"Kriffing hell. Thanks for the heads up, Rex, watch my back while I take this?"

"Affirmative."

Anakin crouched between the boxes and the fencing that lined the walkway, on moting his command flipping through the channels, fully expecting to see Obi-Wan's warm face and strong shoulders projected into the space above his hands, but instead he was met with the Chancellor's grim visage.

"Anakin, my boy," the old man said, and he looked frail and desperate- "Where are you? The Temple says you're unavailable, that they put you on probation, but I'm afraid for my life- Anakin, I fear there may be a terrorist plot against me-"

"Uh-" a bomb exploded somewhere off to Anakin's right and he flinched involuntarily. "If there was a plot against your life, I'm sure you'd've heard about it sir, I'm sorry, I've sort've got my hands tied at the moment."

The Chancellor's features sharpened. "My boy, where are you? I thought you were on the Temple, but it seems that you're in the middle of an active campaign, I thought that the Council had ordered you to remain on-planet. Did I authorize this?"

Shit. "Uh-" Anakin looked to Rex, and to Vaughn, who were busy shooting at madmen in jetpacks and protecting him, and were not good at coming up with lies at all. "It's a secret mission. Just routine resource allotment disputes. You know. Same old. Anyways. I'm sure you're really busy, and I've got this fighting to get back to-"

The Chancellor's eyes were flinty and dark, his appearance changing suddenly and violently. "My boy, I don't think this is appropriate, there are greater matters to be fighting over at a time like this. I order you, return to Coruscant at once! I need your help, the Jedi-" he spat the word, "are plotting against me, you know what their devious minds can conceive, they've been contacting Senators and claiming that I have been acting unlawfully-"

"Oh, no, there's too much static." Anakin waved his hand in front of the transmitter, hoping that would disrupt the signal. "The bombs are - exploding." Rex's laughter was audible through his helmet, and Anakin tried to covertly flip him off.

The Chancellor wasn't joking, though. His eyes narrowed. "Skywalker," he said, his voice rumbling through the comm, "I cannot assure the safety of any Jedi who comes into the Senate building. Any Jedi. I know you find politics to be a game, but if I am approached by these terrorists and I feel threatened, I will take action to protect myself. Even if my attacker is... dear to you."

Anakin's heart dropped to the pit of his stomach. "Noted," he ground out, and he cut off the communication before the Chancellor had the chance to dismiss him. All bets were off now, now that Palpatine was threatening Obi-Wan. Anakin should have seen it coming. With shaking hands, he tried to signal Obi-Wan.

The transmission was shaky, but Obi-Wan picked up. "Anakin?" his voice crackled over the speaker, "Anakin, are you okay? I- "

"Listen to me, do not, I repeat: Do NOT confront the Chancellor alone-" Anakin could feel his voice getting panicky.

"Anakin, you're breaking up, whats happening?"

"The Chancellor has threatened your life. Obi, don't go there alone-"

Obi-Wan's face was marred with the blue lines of the hologram. "The Council is going to apprehend him now, there's no need to worry, return when you can-l've got to go, return soon-"and Obi-Wan was gone, leaving Anakin clutching the silent hologram reciever.

Anakin leaned his head back against the concrete fence, and let out an ungodly groan. "I've got to go, Rex," he said. "If you all can stay here and follow Ahsoka, and look after her, I would appreciate it so much, but I need to go back, the Council is moving against the Senate-and I need to go back and protect him-"

Anakin couldn't see Rex's eyes through his helmet, but he saw the man's assertive nod. Rex trusted him so completely, and followed him without question. That loyalty that Rex had for him could bring Anakin to tears. Rex didn't even need to ask who the "him" Anakin was thinking about was-he already knew. "Are you going to let Commander Tano know?"

Anu him nodded grimly. He didn't want to leave her here, alone, but he needed to go back to him, to make sure he was safe. "I'll touch bases with her on my way out of the city." He touched his friend on the shoulder. "Keep yourself safe."

"Of course Ani." Rex touched him lightly in the arm, and then Anakin was off, racing across the city, looking for Ahsoka and Bo-Katan.

He found them in the throne room, pouring over a map of the city, high conflict streets marked in red. "May I speak to Ahsoka, please?" he asked, out of breath, as everyone in the throne room watched him try to catch his breath.

Kryze crossed her arms over her chest. "Anything you have to say to her, you can say to me."

"Okay, well, 'Soka-"

"No, Anakin, it's okay." Ahsoka crossed the room and guided Anakin to the door by his elbow. "What's wrong?"

Anakin swallowed and grabbed onto her forearm." I have to go back to Coruscant. I'm leaving Rex here to do what he and the men can do to help you out, but Ahsoka-there's a lot of things I wish I could tell you. I hope- that after I leave the Order, I can come find you, and we can talk."

Ahsoka looked at him, with concern in her eyes. "Can you tell me, at least, a bit of what you need to say now -?"

Anakin's throat was dry. "It's Obi-Wan. I think I love him." His knees were weak and his head was spinning, and he braced himself for the moment when Ahsoka pushed him away in disgust. He closed his eyes so that he wouldn't have to see her reaction. "I can't let the Council hurt him, I'm sorry, I think the Chancellor is going to do something terrible, and the council won't be able to stop him-"

"Oh, Ani-" Ahsoka's arms were around him, holding him tight before letting him go. "I was worried that you were going to say you loved me-"

"Oh ew. Ahsoka, that is fucked up, I told you I wasn't into women-"

"Well, you were acting all nervous and shaky. " She laughed, "l've known you've been into Obi-Wan for a while. Kriff, the whole Grand Army has known. And if I wasn't needed here, I would come with you-"

"I need to be the one to face the Chancellor. But thank you."

"Always. And I will see you again," She pat him lightly in the shoulder. "When you finally ditch the Order, come look for me. Code name Fulcrum."

Anakin smiled at her. She was, and always would be, one of the dearest friends he would ever know, the sister that wasn't blood related to him. "May the Force be with you." He left her standing and the giant archway as he ran across the city, as fast as his legs could take him, to the landing strip when he hoped to find Maul's ship still waiting for him.

* * *

Obi-Wan had returned to Coruscant after facing Grievous, but contrary to his hopes, things were not looking any better. Otherthen a hurried message from Ahsoka and Anakin, he hadn't heard a word about Maul or Mandalore, and the Council had decided to move against the Chancellor, under suspicion of treason. The entire Council was assembling, and Obi-Wan joined them with a bitter heart.

The Council had moved in an emergency session that the Chancellor's orders to Anakin and his interference in matters of the Jedi Council, as well as his complete control of the Grand Army of the Republic, and his apparent sieges of Republic-Controlled planets went against the Senate charter. Master Windu had ordered the Chancellor to be brought in alive, if possible.

As he watched members of the Council trickle into the hall, Obi-Wan's comm went off, and he stepped swiftly into an alcove. A staticky picture of Anakin's face filled up the image receiver. Even through the limited Comm channel, Obi-Wan could hear gunfire and explosions. "Anakin! Anakin, are you okay?" His heart clenched in his chest to see his loved one so desperate.

That was when Obi-Wan knew. That he really loved this foolish man.

"DO NOT... the Chancellor..." Anakin said, and has face was outlined in blue. He ducked as something Obi-Wan couldn't see exploded over his head.

"Anakin, you're breaking up, whats happening?"

"The Chancellor... Obi... alone..." The few words that Obi-Wan could hear from Anakin made it sound like he was pleading.

Obi-Wan tried to offer words of comfort. "The Council is going to apprehend him now, there's no need to worry, return when you can." Obi-Wan was about to say more, but Windu stepped into the center of the hall, and other Masters followed suit. Everyone must have arrived. "I've got to go, return soon, I want to see your face again soon," Obi-Wan said, but by the time he'd finished, Anakin was gone.

He swallowed and tucked the communicator under his robes, following the parade of Masters out of the Temple and to a gunship that would take them to the Senate building. Hopefully by the time Anakin was finished on Mandalore, this would all be over.

The Senate Guard was waiting for them as they disembarked from the gunship. A selected platoon of Clones, clothed entirely in red, stood to block the doors with electrostaffs. The captain stood forward, helmet completely covering his face. "You do not have permission to be here, Master Windu."

"I do not need permission." Windu kept his hood up over his own head. The group of Masters that had decided to take part in the operation was about ten strong, and Master Yoder was there too, but he was hidden amongst the swishing robes. It could be that a hidden warrior of Yoda's strength would be the difference between leaving the Chancellor office alive, and not leaving it all. "I am here to speak with the Chancellor, which is my right as a citizen and a General in the Chancellor's army. Let us pass."

"You do not have permission."

"You will let us pass."

The Guards looked to the side, and the other Guards behind him, unsure. "Uh-"

"You will let us pass," Master Windu said again, waving his hand, at the Jedi Masters followed suit, the force of their will pushing against the minds of the guards. After a brief moment, the guards stood apart, letting the Jedi into the Senate building. They closed ranks as the Masters entered the temple, leaving Obi-Wan with a sick sense of finality brewing in the pit of his stomach.

The Masters crowded into two separate elevators, and made it to the top of the Senate building without running into anyone. When the doors opened, though, they were faced with a room full of red-robed guards. There would be no manipulating their way out of this one.

Still, though, there was no harm in attempting diplomacy. Obi-Wan stepped forward and pushed his hood off his head. "Hello," he said, aiming for as cordial a tone as possible. "Would the Chancellor be open to an audience with us?"

The guards murmured amongst themselves for a moment, before the one clearly in charge turned to Obi-Wan. "You, Kenobi, alone."

Obi-Wan looked at the rest of the Masters. He was known for his ability to talk his way out of difficult situations, but this didn't seem like a situation that would be improved by his set of skills. Still, though, Windu nodded, so Obi-Wan moved forward, and the sea of red guards parted before him, allowing him clear passage into the Chancellor's office.

When Obi-Wan entered, the Chancellor was sitting at his desk alone in the room, his head in his hands. "Master Kenobi," he said, without lifting his head, "How did it come to this?"

Obi-Wan cleared his throat and pulled out a chair across from the Chancellor. "We take issue with you interference with our processes, Chancellor, like we discussed not so long ago. I assure you it's nothing personal." Not for anyone else, at least, just for Obi-Wan.

"Is that why you brought your entire Council to my chambers?"

"We expected, and have found, you to be largely uncooperative. You sent out two platoons of your special guards to greet us. That's not exactly hospitable."

The Chancellor looked up from his desk, and to Obi-Wan's horror, his eyes were completely yellow. "You, specifically, Kenobi, wish to see me dead for my interference in the life of young Skywalker. I thought you were a Jedi? I thought you did not form attachments." The Chancellor reached slowly underneath his robes. "Let me remind you, though, he was mine before he was yours."

Obi-Wan was surprised at how angry he felt. He had to hold onto the arms of the chair man to keep himself seated. "No Sith like you will ever have claim on Anakin's life. He has been surrounded by love since he was a child, and he will be loved until he dies. Not even you can corrupt that."

The Chancellor laughed. "If you are no longer alive, Kenobi, he will no longer be loved. You will have failed" He stood and reveled his lightsaber, igniting it. "That's a lie. I am not foolish, not like you. Even after my death, Anakin will have so many people left, so many people left who love him. You gave him his men, you gave him a platoon of brothers--you gave him his Padawan, you gave him the Senator Amidala--you might have thought you corrupted him, but every person you put in his way to twist him just made him into a more loved, more confident man, who knows that you are not who you say you are." The Chancellor laughed heartlessly, opening his mouth to reveal his rotted teeth. "So you say. Shall we duel, my boy?" His face crumpled and turned from that of a kindly old grandfather to a decrepit and ruined shell of a man. "The prize has been set. Hopefully, Skywalker will be here in time to watch the life fade from your eyes, and he will pull his weapon against me, and became truly mine. Rise, Kenobi-you have only one option."

The Sith Lord was right. Obi-Wan pulled his own lightsaber from his belt and with shaky legs stood to face his opponent. For Anakin. He would do anything for Anakin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think that this story has taken a different turn from what I originally expected. It's a lot less fluff, and a lot more reimagining what it would be like if the final 4 episodes of TCW hadn't made me bawl my eyes out. I hope you guys are still enjoying this story, though, and I hope that the next couple of chapters will be a lot more fluff and wish-fulfilment. Also, I don't know if you guys have been able to decipher my authors' notes but my computer's keyboard has been broken, and I can no longer use it to type, which is a real bummer. Also, I apologize for not updating this fic on a regular schedule; I want to be able to write more often, though, and you guys are inspiring me to do so. As always, thank you guys so much for your support , and I really hope you enjoy the stay as much as I enjoy writing it.


	11. Chapter 11

Anakin couldn't feel his fingertips as he dropped out of hyperspace and into Coruscant's atmosphere. Obi-Wan was the only thought that ran through his mind. There was no other part of him that wasn't consumed by the thought of Obi-Wan's face, the feel of his beard underneath his hands, the warm skin of Obi-Wan's chest. The terrifying thought-that Anakin would never get to be near him ever again-to run his finger down the bridge of his nose, to watch Obi-Wan drift off to sleep with his breath still fluttering against Anakin's arm. To have none of that, was unfathomable.

And, almost shamefully, at this moment, Anakin was overcome with regret that he had pushed Obi-Wan away, hadn't slept with him. Now, as the feeling of loss and dread tugged at the corners of his soul, and thoughts of Obi-Wan consuming his mind, Anakin wished that he'd had those moments with Obi-Wan, that he had let the man he loved most have him in that intimate way. He shouldn't think about this, not as he tumbled through the Coruscant sky in Maul's stolen ship, but if he thought about anything else, Anakin felt as though he might crumble.

He landed the ship, badly, outside the steps of the Senate building, and tumbled out of the cockpit. The ship was smoking, just a bit, and a crowd of people was beginning to form around the perimeter of the wreck. Anakin ignored all of them and rushed up the steps, when the red-robed guards were facing him.

"I need to speak to the Chancellor," he said, and the guards parted, letting Anakin sweep through the front door. Their ranks closed behind him, but Anakin paid no notice. There was more than one way out of the Senate building. He rushed to the elevator and took it all the way to the top, his heart beating in his throat. He felt like throwing up.

The room at the top of the elevator, that Anakin was so used to seeing empty, was suffocatingly full when the doors opened. The entirety of the Jedi Council, it seemed, was crammed into a small space directly in front of the elevator, trapped the by a platoon of red guards. Anakin swore.

At the sound of his voice, Mace Windu turned to face him, his arms crossed over his chest. None of the Masters had their sabers at the ready-instead, they were just watching the guards. Windu, though, now faced Anakin with a scornful look. "Skywalker. I put you on probation, I thought you would stay in the Temple."

Anakin rolled his eyes. "I need to speak withe the Chancellor, let me through."

The red guards parted, but Windu stayed firm. "You know I can't let you do that."

Anakin made to shoulder past him, but Windo caught him and bodily pushed him backwards. "Let me through!" Anakin shouted. "Where is Obi-Wan? I need to get-I need to tell him, I need to warn him!"

"About what, must you warn him, hmm?" Yoda quiered from the floor, his gnarled hands folded over his cane.

"Return to the Temple, Skywalker," Plo Koon interjected, not turning to face Anakin. "Master Kenobi is the great Negotiator. If any of us will be able to solve this crisis with diplomacy, it will by him."

"Well, it won't be solved by diplomacy. The Chancellor called me," Anakin attempted to shove his way past Mace, and this time the man let him past, a look of disgust on his face.

"And he said what, that he would let you command the Senate if only you would deal with the Council-?" Mace's body was stiff and angry.

Anakin had never truly realized how resentful and righteous Mace was until that moment. "He said he would kill Kenobi. He told me he would kill Kenobi if I didn't do what he said. So-" So, he was going to go and do whatever necessary to make sure that Obi left this building alive.

The demeanor in the room changed immediately. It was clear to Anakin that the Council was still holding out a fruitless hope that the Chancellor would listen to reason, even as he sent a platoon of guards to prevent the Jedi from entering his office. Anakin was disgusted with them all. He pointed at the door of the Chancellor's office, struggling to keep his finger steady. "I'm going in there. You are not going to stop me."

"No," Yoda said, stepping aside, and the entire platoon of red goods did the same, so that Anakin was faced with a narrow passage, through which the doors to the Chancellor's office lay. "Stop you, we will not. Help you, we will, but this fight your own must be."

A lot of good that would do him. They might as well not even try. The Council didn't care about Obi-Wan's life, just that they still controlled Anakin. Still, though, as long as they wouldn't stop him, he wouldn't stand against them. Anakin swept through the passage, not sparing a glance at the red guards, and the doors to the Chancellor's office swung open. Even as Anakin passed the threshold, the red guard moved into action, and he heard the Masters' lightsabers ignite. The heavy doors swung shut behind him, letting Anakin off from whatever pathetic help the Masters might have offered.

The scene in the Chancellor's office was catastrophic. The large desk was overturned, and papers were strewn across the floor. The old man was huddled on the floor, cowering in his robes. "Anakin, my boy," he said, turning to Anakin with guileless eyes, "I was worried that you didn't get my message."

"I got it." Anakin unsheathed his saber, and angled it at the Chancellor's throat. "Where is Kenobi?"

From behind the overturned desk, Anakin heard a weak moan, and Anakin fought to not drop his lightsaber on the ground and run to examine him, to hold Obi-Wan's face. He didn't even turn his head, though, and kept his gaze pinned on the duplicitous Chancellor. "Obi-Wan, are you okay?" he called.

The Chancellor let out a pitiful moan. "He attacked me, he rushed at me with his saber-sword, he didnt even tell me- what have I done wrong?" The Chancellor tried to sound pitiful, but instead he just sounded like sniveling bastard. "I've only ever tried to serve the Republic."

"Anakin, he's a Sith," Obi-Wan rasped, and Anakin could tell that he was pulling himself across the floor. "He has a saber underneath his robes, Anakin, be prepared -"

The Chancellor's face carried an undercurrent of violence. "Do you believe him, Anakin? I'm looked after you all this time, you've been my favorite since you were small. I knew that you were special, I saw your true potential when they only squandered it. Together, Anakin, we could make sure that this world is a better, safe place, and you could be in charge of it all."

He could kill the Chancellor. The idea occurred to Anakin, and it surprised him that he hadn't thought of it before. He had just killed Maul, but Maul had been threatening Ahsoka -the Chancellor now looked as little and harmless as any old man. Except for everything that the man had done before- his dry and raspy voice, his fingers on Anakin's shoulder, Obi's dull moan from the floor. He had just killed Maul, Anakin could kill this man too; he would kill anyone who put a violent hand on Obi-Wan. It wasn't anger, it was just practicality.

He stabbed his lightsaber down towards the Chancellor's throat, expected it to go through, but the Chancellor's lightsaber-red as blood-was there to block it. The light cast the Chancellor's face in such a way that Anakin could tell the Chancellor's eyes were streaked through with yellow. A Sith had been in charge of the Republic, of the Order, basically, for as long as Anakin could remember- the revelation turned his stomach. He stabbed down at the Chancellor again, and the Sith laughed, exposing rotted teeth.

"You think you can beat me, Anakin? Look what I did to your Master-" The Sith Lord wormed out from underneath Anakin's menacing stare. "Look at what I did to him, he's lying broken on the floor!"

Anakin roared, and the sound surprised him. He rushed at the Sith Lord and met him squarely in the middle of the room, their lightsabers creating sparks that rained down around them.

And still, the Sith Lord taunted him. "I left Kenobi broken," he hissed, "He could still be saved, though, you could do it. We could help Kenobi together, just stop fighting me. I've always helped you, I've been your mentor- I will always be there for you, Skywalker, we could control the galaxy together."

Anakin didn't want the galaxy. He wanted Obi-Wan. The anger that had filled him was now cold and absent, and suddenly he no longer had a desire to fight this battle that he couldn't win. He had come into this room for one reason. He stepped away from the Sith without saying anything, and the old man, because that's what he really was, stumbled forward, off balance, expecting Anakin to strike him again.

Anakin, though, was already across the room and behind the desk, on his knees over Obi. Obi-Wan was pale and shaking, and then was a gash on his shoulder that had soaked his robes through with blood. Obi-Wan's eyes fluttered weakly. "Ani-he wants you. He wants you to turn." His voice was weak and his lips were pale.

"I won't, I promise, I'm going to get you out of here-"

"You won't be going anywhere, Skywalker. You join me or you die." The Sith loomed behind the two of them, his hood pulled up so that his face was covered in darkness. "We can save Kenobi, if you choose, but you will be more powerful without him, all he ever did was hold you back-"

Anakin let out a yell and kicked the Sith's knees, collapsing the man. He stood and kicked the man again, so the the Sith Lord tumbled off the dais, the old man tangling up in his robes as he laughed uncontrollably. "Yes, Skywalker!" he shouted, "give into your hate!"

"I want nothing to do with you!" Anakin shouted, and at that moment, the doors burst open and Mace Windu spilled into the Chancellor's office, lightsaber drawn. Anakin heard the Chancellor's manical laugh and the shouts of denial from the Council, and vaguely he could hear the clash of their weapons, but none of that mattered to him anymore. Instead, he knelt next to Obi-Wan, pilling the man's head into his lap.

"Anakin-" the man said, his eyes fluttering open. "There you are." He smiled. "I was worried you wouldn't make it in time."

"In time for what?"

"To see-one last time."

"Oh Kriffing hell, you are dramatic, aren't you? You think I would let you get off that easy?" Anakin closed his eyes and pressed his hand on Obi's chest, feeling the life Force dwindling in him. He could strengthen it, if he could just- he pulled some of the light within him and pushed it into Obi-Wan's chest, threading his force into Obi-Wan's own. Under his fingers, he could feel the gash on Obi-Wan's shoulder healing. Somewhere, far away, Anakin could her the sands of battle, but that hardly existed anymore. There was only one thing that mattered, and he was breathing gently in Anakin's lap, safe and whole again.

* * *

When Anakin woke up, he felt like he was lying in the middle of a very starched cloud. His head felt like it was floating, and when he held up his hand, he couldn't tell if it was connected to the rest of his body. Aƒ saline drip was dug into his arm, and a monitor beeped softly next to him. Anakin held his arm up, and saw the needle in his vein.It turned his stomach, and he closed his eyes. "Hey, do I need this?" He waited for the soft answer of the Medic droid, but heard only the sharp rustling of paper.

"Anakin? Are you awake?" Obi-Wan's voice was full of anxiety.

"Oh, yeah. Ow, shit. Can you please take this thing out of me?" Anakin held his am out to the sound of Obi-Wan's voice. "I can't look, I'm going to-"

"It's okay, it's okay." Obi-Wan's gentle voice and gentle hands were right then, removing the saline drip from Anakin's arm.  
"We're both okay."

Anakin smiled. "Hey," he said and he reached out, touching Obi-Wan's beard. "Sorry I left so fast. I missed you. 'Soka says hi. She misses you, she said she always knew I loved you. Also, Maul's dead-o, I killed him, sorry about that. Am I on drugs?"

"You did it? You killed him? You - love me?"

"Yeah, but Obi-" he carded his finger through Obi-Wan's beard. "Did they give me pain killers?"

"Just a little, you won't get addicted, but Ani, do you really-"

"Yes. You're silly. And that explains why my head is so loopy." He reached down and grabbed Obi's hand. "Will you stay with me? And not go and fight in any wars? I was so worried about you, I thought that my heart was going to explode."

Obi-Wan's chuckle was low, and he sat next to Anakin on the bed, putting his hand through Anakin's hair, and holding Anakin's hand tightly to his face. "Of course Ani. I won't leave you again. Just don't run out on me like that again." He bent down and kissed Anakin lightly in the head. "I love you too." The two of them sat in the hospital ward, huddled together on the same bed, wound up in each others arms, unwilling to think of what had just happened, and even less willing to think of the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! One more chapter to go, and that will be mostly fluffy stuff, I think I had to write all of this to justify my desire for Ani and Obi to have a happy ending. I'm thinking of exploring some AU's in the future, so let me know what you would be interested in seeing! Also, I promise that I will go through and check my spelling, I know I'm a dumbass, I just get so excited to publish chapters. I hope you all are doing well and are all healthy and safe, knowing that you all are reading what I'm writing means the world to me :)


	12. Chapter 12

Although Obi-Wan came out of the Chancellor's office relatively unscathed, Anakin had given him a tremendous amount of his own energy. Now, he was sleeping in the clean white sheets of a hospital bed, wires attached to monitors that surrounded him. He'd woken up and told Obi-Wan to take the needles out before descending again into sleep. Obi-Wan stared at his chest to make sure the younger man was still breathing.

To wake up in the Chancellor's office amidst the debris, only to find Anakin standing over the Chancellor- if Anakin had been hurt in the same way that Obi-Wan was, if Obi-Wan's pain had brought Anakin to ruin, Obi-Wan didn't know if he would ever forgive himself. Especially after Anakin woke up and told Obi-Wan he loved him before descending into another foggy sleep.

Anakin. Loved him. It felt like the world could spin and stop just on that idea alone.

Obi-Wan leaned back against the wall, crossing his legs at the ankles. Anakin's love for him was a puzzle he couldn't sort out, a problem he couldn't think around. He wanted to pick Anakin's prone head off of the pillow and put it on his lap, to run his fingers through Anakin's hair. But, there were always things in the way, weren't there? As if to punctuate this thought, Mace Windu came around the hospital partition his face bent into a stern frown.

"Kenobi," he said, tersely.

"Windu." Obi-Wan tried to sound agreeable.

"Skywalker was... quite distraught by your injuries."

Obi-Wan nodded. He wished that they could have this conversation when Anakin woke up, and after he'd had the same conversation with Anakin himself, but he could not deny the veracity of Mace's observation. Anakin had been distraught.

Mace let the silence sit and cleared his throat. "Will you speak with him about his attachment when he wakes?"

"I will."

"And, Kenobi, what exactly will you say?"

"I will say, Mace, that I believe he should leave the Jedi order," Obi-Wan retorted, anger welling up inside of him with a sudden force. "And that now that the Clone War is ended and that you have the Chancellor in custody, the is no longer need for his misplaced dedication to this religion. That is what I will tell him, Mace." Obi-Wan's fists were balled in the crooks of his arm, and his jaw was clenched so tightly he thought he would snap a tendon.

Mace didn't react outwardly, and even if he did, Obi-Wan was refusing to look at him. "Alright." The older man said eventually. "That's about what I would recommend to him as well. He is a good warrior. And a good man. But, not, I think, a good Jedi."

Obi-Wan didn't answer.

"We have discovered, though, that Maul was killed on Mandalore. His body was dropped on the Temple steps by an unknown individual. And, the 501st has been reported to be recapturing Mandalore in the name of Bo-Katan Kryze, the sister of one of your former... attachments. Does this sound familiar?"

Obi-Wan ground his teeth. "I was not made aware of the specifics."

"Ah. Well." Mace touched Obi-Wan's shoulder in a way that wasn't necessarily friendly. "Maybe you should reconsider your own connections to the Jedi Temple as well."

"I will." Obi-Wan shifted away from Windu. "Thank you, for your advice." The message was clear, and a cold pit settled in Obi-Wan's stomach. He and Anakin could either choose to leave the Jedi Order, or never speak to each other again. Although to Obi-Wan, the choice was easy, he had never known a life outside of the Order. But for Anakin, he would do anything.

"Hmm." Master Windu didn't say anything else, just left the hospital ward. It felt as though his gaze could pierce Obi-Wan's thoughts, like all the sinful thoughts he held about Anakin were laid out in front of Windu, and Obi-Wan was grateful that he was gone, grateful that the wing was silent again. Obi-Wan moved his chair closer to Anakin's bed, the sound echoing across the tile.

Obi-Wan picked up Anakin's hand and cradled it in his own. "I wish you would wake up," he said, and Anakin turned in his sleep, his hair falling over his forehead. "I think that we're in a whole lot of trouble, and I need you to do your thing, to help us get out of this one too."

* * *

Anakin woke up with Obi-Wan's head on the pillow next to him, his gentle breath stirring Anakin's hair, with Obi-Wan's body still in the seat next to the bed. He wrapped his own hand around Obi-Wan's fingers and grasped them tightly, and Obi-Wan stirred in his sleep. Anakin couldn't remember what had happened after the Chancellor's office, aside from the few moments before the pain medication pulled him completely under, when he saw Obi-Wan watching over him even then.

He remembered the Chancellor-the Sith Lord's, he reminded himself -angry and bloodshot face, his yellowed eyes, the red of his lightsaber as it collided against Anakin's own. Even beyond that, Anakin remembered the Sith Lord's hand on Anakin's shoulder, the beguiling sweetness of the man's voice as he promised Anakin safety and power. A shudder ran through Anakin's entire body. That was how close he had come to falling, to having his entire self turned inside out for the benefit of that vile man. If Obi-Wan hadn't stood between Anakin and the Chancellor, Anakin wasn't sure who he would be anymore. Would he have fallen to the dark side, the the Chancellor had wanted him to? He was glad he would never have to find out.

Obi-Wan stirred sleepily next to him and sat up slowly, his graying ginger hair standing up wildly. "You're awake," he said, his eyes fighting to stay open. "How are you?"

Anakin smiled, and reached out his free had to run it through Obi-Wan's bedhead. "Better now that you're around. How are you?"

Obi-Wan made a bitter face and looked down at the foot of Anakin's bed. "I think- we have been politely asked to leave the Order. Or," he amended his statement but it looked painful for him to do so, "We can stay here and never talk to each other again. I know what I would do, but. I would never ask you to do the same."

"You want to stay in?" Anakin felt his heart grow cold. Surely, he must be misunderstanding. "Seriously?"

"No, dumbass." Obi-Wan looked at him fondly. The obscenity was funny coming out of his mouth.

"Oh, good." Anakin sank back in his pillows. He should've realized that Obi-Wan being liked told what to do about as much as Anakin did. And that Obi-Wan liked Anakin more than he liked the Order. He did feel the beginnings of a jealous happiness at that thought, but he pushed it aside, squeezing Obi-Wan's fingers a little tighter. "Is the war over?"

"Almost. I know that a few Masters were sent to finish the clean up on Mandalore-"

Anakin groaned.

-"but since someone dropped Maul's body off right where we couldn't miss it, the fighting has died down dramatically. Don't worry, I'm sure that I can use whatever influence I have left to ensure that Rex won't get court marshaled for your stupidity."

"Thanks Obi." Anakin gave him a lopsided grin. "I would feel like shit if the Order decided to fuck him over because I was technically not supposed to be there."

"Technically? You broke every single treaty the Republic had ever made with Mandalore and the treaties the Jedi made with the Mandlorians all because your former Padawan, who abandoned the Temple, asked you to. Not that I would expect anything else from you, of course." Obi-Wan kissed his knuckles softly, his beard rasping over Anakin chapped skin. "But yes, the Temple is furious."

"Well." Anakin gave Obi a lopsided grin. "What else could I expect from them?" The two of them stayed together silence, both unwilling to make the next move. Finally, anxiety tugged at Anakin, and he sat up, swinging his legs on the side of the bed. Obi-Wan, still holding his hand, looked up at him, eyes wide and shining with an emotion Anakin couldn't put a finger on. "If we're leaving, where are we going?"

Obi-Wan shook his head, a helpless gesture from the man who had spent his entire life desperate for a place in the Jedi Order, who was preparing to throw it all away. "I'll go where you go."

Anakin bent down and grabbed Obi-Wan by the back of his neck, pulling him into a kiss that jerked a groan out of the older man. He rubbed his thumb in gentle circles over Obi-Wan's own fingers, and pushed his tongue into Obi-Wan's mouth, deepening the kiss. Obi let out another muffled groan and dug his free hand into the thin material of Anakin's hospital trousers. When Anakin pulled away, he was rewarded with the sight of Obi-Wan red-faced and undone, clinging onto Anakin for support. He looked at Anakin like a drowned man who'd found salvation, and a heady power flowed over Anakin. This was what it was like to be loved and wanted, all at once. He but down and gave Obi a quick kiss on the forehead. "Help me up, then. I know just the place."

***

Anakin was a pilot and a mechanic before he had ever been a Jedi, and the first thing he did after he and Obi left the Temple was buy the biggest, most-in-need of modification freighter from the bowels of Coruscant. "It's a practical decision," he told Obi, "We can go any when we want and carry-"

"A full grown Bantha?"

"I mean, sure. If that's what you're into." Anakin christened his terrible spaceship Dawn, and Obi-Wan pretended to be upset about the whole thing, but he was more than happy to join Anakin in the co-pilot's seat as Anakin navigated out of Coruscant's atmosphere, hopefully for the last time ever.

Obi-Wan looked better and more like himself out of his Jedi robes. Every time Anakin glanced over at him, he felt his heart flutter, to see Obi-Wan's heels propped up on the Dawn's dashboard, his hair rumpled adorably in the thin light of the upper atmosphere. When Obi noticed Anakin looking, he rolled his eyes. "Eyes on the flight lines, please?"

"How can l, when you're sitting right next to me?" Anakin flipped Obi his most suave smile. "When should we go first?"

"Anywhere when they can't find us. How about, we check out Alderaan? I don't think I've ever been there before."

"Affirmative, General Kenobi." He tossed Obi-Wan a cocky salute. "Charting hyperspace route now."

That night, they fell into bed in the sparsely decorated, cold captain's quarters, their limbs tangled over each other, Anakin's fingers buried in Obi-Wan's hair. He'd taken off his shirt, and pretended he hadn't noticed Obi eying him appreciatively. "We should get sheets, and stuff," he said, stretching in a way that showed off his pecs. "If we want to - you know -"

Obi-Wan kissed him on his neck, right above his clavicle, sending shivers down Anakin's back, into his dick. "Fuck? I've heard a hard surface can be just as enjoyable."

"No," Anakin laughed. "I was thinking just about making this place hospitable and like, homey, but sure, we can fuck too."

"I'm sorry, I've just been thinking about this for a lot longer than you could possibly imagine." Obi kissed his neck again, and kissed down his chest, lingering as he kissed Anakin's nipples and stomach. Anakin gasped, digging his hand into Obi-Wan's hair, his already sensitive skin flooded with the feel of Obi-Wan's callused fingers over his bare hip bones. Obi-Wan swirled his tongue in circles, and Anakin tried not to moan. "It's good to hear you moan," Obi-Wan said, looking up at him through his lashes. "It makes It better knowing how you feel."

Anakin gasped, and pilled Obi-Wan back up his body, one had in the back of Obi-Wan's neck. He ground his hips against Obi-Wan's own, and kissed Obi-Wan as deep as he knew how, pulling the man so close, it felt that Obi-Wan could merge into his body, so that Obi-Wan could never leave him again. Clumsily, he slid his hand down Obi-Wan's waist band, fumbling to grab onto him.

Obi-Wan laughed slightly, and pulled back, taking Anakin's inexperienced hand from his dick and pressing it to his mouth, covering his finger and palm in butterfly kisses. "It's okay, love, let me show you. Then's no need to rush-we have tomorrow and all the days after."

Anakin frowned and reached up again, pulling Obi-Wan back down to his mouth, trying to grind against him again, and Obi-Wan responded by smoothy unbuttoning Anakin's own pants and pulling him out, his hand covering Anakin's cock. "Is this alright?" he asked, and Anakin nodded pathetically, desperate for Obi-Wan's touch.

Obi-Wan slide down the bed, covering Anakin's stomach in kisses, his waist bones, the base of his cock. "Is this okay?" Obi-Wan asked, looking up at Anakin through his lashes. 

Anakin moaned a yes, and dug his fingers into Obi-Wan's hair, stroking the man's cheek with his palm. "Yes, please," he gasped, and Obi-Wan laughed, before swallowing Anakin's cock, his free hand touching Anakin's balls and the sensitive skin of his inner thigh, sucking until the pressure was too much for Anakin to take. He groaned and reached out, pulling at Obi-Wan, the bruise he'd left on Obi's shoulder just a few days prior dark and shining in the low light. 

"Please," he whimpered again, and Obi-Wan laughed, pushing forward so that his mouth captured Anakin's again, his hand wrapping around Anakin's cock, stroking him up and down, so that Anakin's hips bucked into Obi-Wan, searching for any sort of pressure to grind against. "Please," he asked again, and Obi-Wan laughed against his mouth, not a cruel sound, but a deep one, full of lust. 

"What do you want from me?" Obi-Wan asked, dropping kisses down Anakin's neck, and across his shoulders, down his chest. 

"Please, I want to come," Anakin asked, and Obi-Wan complied, stroking Anakin in time with himself, and Anakin felt himself become undone to the sight of Obi-Wan kneeling over him, holding both of their cocks, his face covered in sweat, his mouth open in the face of ecstasy. Anakin joined him there, coming hard enough to cover his vision in stars. 

Obi-Wan slumped down next to Anakin and covered his face in kisses his hair out of his face, his blue eyes staring at Anakin's own adoringly. "Do you know how beautiful you are?" he asked, his voice still low and deep.

"Do you want?-" Anakin asked, reaching for him, but Obi-Wan pushed him back down.

"No, love, just lie here. let me watch you. I'm waited forever for this."

Anakin groaned again and pilled Obi-Wan down so that the man's entire weight was pressed against him. Their breath aligned as they drifted off to sleep, and Anakin ran his fingers down the smooth curve of Obi-Wan's back. "It's over now," Anakin promised, pressing a kiss into Obi-Wan's hair. He didn't know what he was promising, but he knew it was important.

"It's over," Obi agreed sleepily, "At the end of everything, I still have you." The weight of his naked chest on Anakin's was a promise too, a promise of them, and of the future that lay before them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey everyone, thank you so much for reading along, despite my awful spelling, and the fact that I'm sort of terrible at smut, but still desperate for my boys to have a happy future together. I hope you all have had a happy new year, and that you'll stick around to see what terrible AU's I have planned for the future!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Let me know what you think/what could be better!


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